MORE ABOUT US
WHAT WE DO
We produce interactive events around the finest independent films that promote sustainability and the conservation of biodiversity.
Our films connect the dots between saving species from extinction and preserving the Earth’s precious resources of food, water and clean air. The WCFF is the first organization of its kind to present an issue that has widespread public support in a powerful visual forum, showing how wildlife preservation impacts our day-to-day lives.
The Wildlife Conservation Film Festival is a must-attend event for thought-leaders in biodiversity, film and major conservation organizations.
WCFF brings together activists, experts filmmakers, non-governmental enthusiasts, representatives of the public and private sector, youth, scholars as well as wide audiences from all walks of life. We honor the projects and causes that individuals sometimes risk their lives to pursue. Attracting a diverse international audience, we provide a unique setting to interact directly with conservation experts and filmmakers, often via one-on-one conversation.
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EDUCATION OUTREACH
The WCFF has an education outreach program that delivers content to thousands of secondary and post secondary institutions. Through media and live presentations from filmmakers, environmental scientists and expert wildlife conservationists, the WCFF creates public awareness that facilitates inspiration into action. Some of the institutions include: NYU, John Jay College, University of Miami, Swarthmore College, University of Pennsylvania, the Ross School and the Dalton School.
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WHO ATTENDS THE WCFF
The WCFF attracts thousands of attendees from the conservation, education, and wildlife film and travel industries. They discuss current issues facing the global biodiversity and the wildlife film industry, negotiate business opportunities, showcase products and services and screen films. People attend from all over the world and have included representatives from NatGeoWild, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Discovery Communications, NATURE, National Geographic, PBS, Smithsonian Channel as well as wildlife filmmakers, distributors, producers and newcomers to the industry.
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WCFF OFFERS
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Inspiring day seminars and workshops
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Screenings of award-winning and world-class wildlife documentary films
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Open and private pitching opportunities
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Networking events
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Annual Awards Ceremony & Gala
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Field trips to see wildlife in its natural habitat, up close and personal
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Ample opportunities for the audience to interact with leading figures in the wildlife community and possibly collaborate on national and international programs that make a difference
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Board of Directors
Christopher J. Gervais, F.R.G.S.
Founder & CEO
Christopher is an award winning producer. His animated film "Dream" won a 2017 Golden Lion for film and a Silver Lion for music at the 64th Annual International Festival of Creativity. He is environmental and marine scientist. Has decades of experience in field work and research with multiple academic institutions and natural history museums. A former science and social studies teacher, later an administrator, he became the youngest principal of a public school in the state of Florida. While a graduate student, Christopher conducted fieldwork and research to study the Pleistocene Mega fauna and their fossils that were deposited over 10,000 years ago. His study of these extinct species informs his concerns for preserving biodiversity and was a significant factor in the founding of the WCFF. Christopher was one of the first scientists to conduct underwater vertebrate paleontology research. He is a professional, advanced scuba diver with NAUI, PADI, SSI and NASDS with over 2,500 logged dives. Christopher founded the WCFF in 2010 using his life savings to get the organization off the ground and has maintained the operations since then. He is a philanthropic supporter of conservation organizations across the globe. Christopher is President of the International Exploration Society (IES), Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, member of the Ocean Geographic Society, friend of American Philosophical Society.
Larry McClenney
A lifelong conservationist, Larry has worked for the National Park Service as an educator for over 25 years. His commitment to education, science and natural history includes work with the Academy of Natural Science over a 20 year span and also the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology where he served as the Volunteer Coordinator. Larry is a specialist with non-profits, particularly focused on conservation and education.
Board of Advisors
Alexa Elliott
Miami, FL
Manager, Science & Environmental Content | Series Producer of "Changing Seas"
South Florida PBS
Dr. Patricia C. Wright
Stony Brook University, NY
Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, Stony Brook University.
World’s foremost expert on lemurs.
Casey Anderson
Livingston, MT
Film Producer, TV host and Wildlife Conservationist
Isabella Rossellini
New York, NY
Actress, Author,
Philanthropist & Model
Capt. Paul Watson
Vermont, USA
Co-founder: Greenpeace
Founder: Sea Shepherd
Matt Pickens
Tampa, FL
Professional Soccer Player and
2010 MLS Cup Champion
Holly Marie Combs
Los Angeles, CA
Award Winning Actress and Producer
Ian Redmond, OBE
Gloucester, United Kingdom
Ambassador, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species, Chairman of the Great Ape Alliance
Fabien Cousteau
New York, NY
Author, Environmentalist and Filmmaker
Dr. Roger Payne
New York, NY
Cetacean Biologist
Ocean Alliance, President
Dr. Sylvia Earle
Oakland, CA
Author, Aquanaut Explorer, Oceanographer, Founder of Mission Blue
Dr. Diana L. Reiss
New York, NY
Professor & Director: Animal Behavior & Conservation MA Programs
Hunter College, CUNY
Dr. Birute’ Mary Galdikas
Los Angeles, CA
Author, Primatologist, Founder of Orangutan Foundation Internationa
Dr. Mauricio de la Maza
Monterrey, Mexico
Chief Executive Director of Pronatura Noreste
Filmmaker & Conservationist
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE
London, United Kingdom
Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute
& UN Messenger of Peace
Dr. E.O. Wilson
Harvard University, MA
Pulitzer Prize Winning Author, Biologist and Conservationist
Dr. David Guggenheim
Washington, D.C.
Founder of Ocean Doctor &
Director of Cuba Conservancy
Chris Morgan
Great Britian
Ecologist, Conservationist,
TV host & Filmmaker
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2021 WCFF Planning Committee
Kristin Sargent
Autumn Levi
Michelle Dabkowski
Peng Guang
Dr. Mary Macedonio
Jennifer Powell
Jen Seggio
John Stone
Liam Tobin
Ilias Missyris
Kathleen Waybourne, Esq.
Dr. Diana L. Reiss
Ale Medellin
Karrie Barnett
Valeria Bergna
Kristina Rezek
LaVelda Conrad
Maret Manig
Virginia Kelly, Esq.
Jury Selection Committee
* Is anonymous to protect the privacy of each volunteer member
TESTIMONIALS
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
“We commend the WCFF for your courage to remain the one authentic platform where film makers and organizations dedicated to the conservation of the planet’s natural history and bio-diversity can still showcase their work and create awareness of conservation issues without having to apologize for having a ‘message’. Thank you to the WCFF for encouraging us to continue exploring the grand mysteries of nature, and for inspiring people to love and protect the majesty and diversity, which we all rely on for our own survival.”