Festival 2011: October 3-7

2011 Winners • 2011 Finalists • 2011 Festival Guide • 2011 Film Guide
2009 Winners • 2009 Finalists • 2009 Festival Guide • 2009 Film Guide

Broadly described by countless delegates as the best Festival ever, over 550 registered delegates converged at Jackson Lake Lodge to celebrate this year's theme, From Hope to Change, with a special focus on the world's Big Cats. Seasoned exhibitors reported greater than expected sales and solid interest in gear investment and several sessions extended well beyond the alloted time as delegates insisted on continuing discussion. This year's Festival also had a strong push in 3D, Fulldome & cultural institutions from around the world.

Since 1991, JHWFF has produced a unique biennial industry conference that draws 650 media professionals, writers, leading scientists and conservationists to Jackson Hole. They converge from around the world to hone skills, explore emerging technologies and market opportunities, network with professional associates and honor notable achievements within the industry. Internationally recognized as the premier event of its genre, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival is an unparalleled industry gathering. Its film competition—a nature film equivalent to the Oscars®—honors top films selected from over 800 category entries.

Click here to view the GoPro Microshort Film Competition winner!

2011 Lifetime Achievement Awards

Dr. Alan Rabinowitz—Conservation (sponsored by NHU Africa)
One of the world’s leading big cat experts, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, is currently the CEO of Panthera, a nonprofit organization devoted to saving the world’s wild cat species. Prior to co-founding Panthera with the organization’s Chairman, Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan, Rabinowitz served as the Executive Director of the Science and Exploration Division for the Wildlife Conservation Society for almost 30 years.

Dr. Rabinowitz has traveled the world on behalf of wildlife conservation. His work in Belize resulted in the world's first jaguar sanctuary; his work in Taiwan resulted in the establishment of this country's largest protected area and last piece of intact lowland forest; his work in Thailand generated the first field research on Indochinese tigers, Asiatic leopards, and leopard cats, in what was to become the region's first World Heritage Site; and his work in Myanmar has led to the creation of five new protected areas, including the country's first marine national park, first and largest Himalayan national park, and the world’s largest tiger reserve in the Hukaung Valley.

Dr. Rabinowitz has dedicated his life to surveying the world’s last wild places, with the goal of preserving wild habitats and securing homes, on a large scale, for some of the world’s most endangered mammals. His focus on cats is based on conserving top predators, which affect entire ecosystems. By saving cats, the impacts are far reaching and conserve vast landscapes upon which many species depend, including humans. One of Dr. Rabinowitz's greatest achievements was the conceptualization and implementation of the Jaguar Corridor, a series of biological and genetic corridors for jaguars across their entire range from Mexico to Argentina. Dr. Rabinowitz also initiated Panthera's Tiger Corridor Initiative, an effort to identify and protect the world's last remaining large interconnected tiger landscapes, with a primary focus on the remote and rugged Indo-Himalayan region of Asia.

Clark Bunting—Media (sponsored by Montana State University Science &
Natural History Filmmaking Program)
For over 25 years Clark Bunting has been asking a lot of good questions…and turning the search for those answers into award-winning, unforgettable and standard-setting television. As one of the Discovery Founder John Hendricks’ first hires, Bunting has played a pivotal role in almost every facet of program development and production, breathing life into the Discovery brand with a signature mix of industry expertise and a genuine wonder and embrace of the world.

As president and general manager of Discovery Channel and president of Science Channel, Bunting oversees the flagship network now reaching close to over 100 million subscribers in the U.S. Bunting continues to innovate the natural history genre with leadership and investment in new technologies. In his previous post as executive vice president and general manager for Discovery Channel, Bunting oversaw a number of trendsetting new series, including Mythbusters and Werner Herzog's Academy Award® nominated documentary Encounters at the End of the World.

In addition to all aspects of network programming, Bunting is closely involved with the network’s environmental advocacy and stewardship As part of the original team that launched SHARK WEEK, Bunting has long recognized the imperative for the network to be part of real issues outside of this pop culture phenomenon. In 2010, Bunting, in partnership with The Ocean Conservancy, worked closely with Senator John Kerry (D-MA) to introduce legislation to further the crusade for shark conservation awareness. Bunting also serves on the board of the American Humane Society.

2011 Program Highlights

Making a Difference
It is no longer simply enough to entertain or inform—-sessions throughout the Festival focused on the role of media to empower personal involvement as well as public/private partnerships and policy level decisions at this critical juncture on our planet.

Finalist Showcase
Film competition finalists in Content Categories showcased in sessions throughout the week. With clips and conversation from production teams delegates got a taste of the year’s finest programs and highlights of the behind-the-scenes action!

Big Cat Forum
On Tuesday, October 4 we put our focus on the state of the world’s great cats and the work underway to protect them, highlighting the finalist films focused on big cat themes. We brought leading researchers and conservationists together to discuss the critical issues they face in their work to protect these creatures and their habitats.

30 Minutes with the Commissioners
Throughout Tuesday we presented a “Meet the Commissioners” series, designed to introduce you to key programming commissioners, who will give you specific guidelines on the types of projects they’d like to hear you pitch to them during the week.

3D & Fulldome Production--Immersive storytelling market, aesthetics & workflow
Wednesday, October 5 was 3D day, and throughout the entire week we presented practical sessions exploring production and market in this high growth media sector in Global Immersion’s 90+ seat Fullldome theater.