Alaska Wilderness Film Week

Wilderness invites people to connect with -- and see themselves as a part of -- a natural landscape.

NPS Photo / K. Knick

Alaska Wilderness Film Week: Celebrating 60 years of connecting with the most special places on Earth

The federal agencies have been working to make federal wilderness areas and the concept of wilderness more inclusive. In light of the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and our evolving idea of wilderness, the purpose of the film event is to showcase several ways people connect to Alaska’s wilderness lands. Admission is free for all screenings.

Wilderness areas are places where people participate gently, thoughtfully, and responsibly in the community of life.

Photo courtesy of Don Pendergrast

November 12-14: Daily Film Screenings

Alaska Public Lands Information Center: 605 W 4th Ave, Anchorage AK

Tuesday, November 12
12 noon – 1 pm

• Gates of the Arctic (1 hour): Gates of the Arctic is a one-hour documentary about the Brooks Range and the extraordinary people who live in this arctic landscape, including Inupiat Eskimo elders who were the last nomadic people in the United States. The film also details the important role that these hills played in the birth of America’s wilderness movement.

Wednesday, November 13
12 noon – 1 pm

• The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness (47 mins): Imagine a vast, wild, and magical place in Alaska where one of earth’s greatest natural spectacles unfolds. Discover a land that has evolved intact and untamed since the beginning of time, a world few have truly seen until now.

Thursday, November 14
12 noon – 1 pm

• Where Ice and Ocean Meet (20 mins): Where Ice and Ocean Meet, weaves a story of glacial change, an exceptionally rich ecosystem, and cultural continuity into a compelling portrait of a unique American treasure.
• The Bear Coast (17 mins): Watch a group of passionate Alaskans describe the importance of protecting the Alaska Peninsula's pristine wilderness for the wildlife and people who depend on its unparalleled natural resources.
• America’s Artic – Teshekpuk Wetlands (18 mins): The abundant wetlands in America's Arctic, especially those concentrated around Teshekpuk Lake, are among the most extensive and productive for birdlife in the entire Arctic. Birds fan out across this landscape to nest in astonishing numbers, with some of the highest known densities of breeding shorebirds anywhere on earth.

November 15: Anchorage Museum Film Screenings

Anchorage Museum: 625 C St, Anchorage AK

Friday, November 15
7 pm – 10 pm

• Lake Clark Skate Date (2 mins): A 20-mile ice skate loop on Lake Clark in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
• The Meaning of Wild | Wilderness Adventure (30 mins): The Meaning of Wild is a half hour documentary film that takes viewers on a journey through one of our nation’s wildest landscapes, the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska. The film follows wildlife cameraman Ben Hamilton as he travels by boat, plane, kayak and foot to capture and share the true value of Wilderness.
• IMAGO (17 mins): This film chronicles a group of Indigenous and conservation leaders who traveled to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to connect with each other and the land, and to engage in place-based dialogues using traditional methods including talking circles, ceremonies and the stories of Elders who spoke of the history, importance, and future of the refuge.
• Noatak:Return to the Arctic (15 mins): In this short film by The Muir Project, the two septuagenarians reflect on a life of exploration while embarking on a trip to the wilderness of Alaska’s Brooks Range. Thirty-five years after their first visit to the Noatak River, the two men retrace their journey and look to the adventures that lie ahead.
• American Ascent (60 mins): A documentary film about the first African-American expedition to climb North America's highest peak, Denali. The film addresses often overlooked issues of race and the outdoors as it follows the team up the mountain, chronicling the many challenges of climbing one of the world’s most iconic peaks.