5th Annual New York WILD Film Festival Celebrates 'Heroes & Hope'

WHAT: 2018 New York WILD Film Festival
Fifth annual documentary film festival in New York that showcases a spectrum of topics - from exploration and adventure to wildlife, conservation and the environment - bringing all things WILD to the urban heart of New York City. Featuring a new family program.

WHEN: February 22-25, 2018

WHERE: The Explorers Club, 46 E. 70th St., New York

JANE: Drawing from more than 100 hours of never-before-seen footage, JANE tells the intimate story of Jane Goodall, whose pioneering research on chimpanzees revolutionized our understanding of the natural world. She is just one hero who will be in the spotlight at this year's festival, whose theme is "Heroes and Hope."

The festival will feature 28 film screenings from around the world, Q&As, receptions and award presentations. The following are some of the remarkable stories that will make up this year's New York WILD Film Festival:

Into Twin Galaxies - A Greenland Epic: A daring kite-ski and kayak expedition over the Greenland Ice Cap in some never-explored territories. Best Exploration Film. ? Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution: Filmmaker Jamie Redford's personal journey into the dawn of the clean-energy era. Best Environmental Film. ? RARE: Creatures of the Photo Ark: The quest by renowned National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore who risks life and limb to document thousands of endangered animals around the world for a "Photo Ark." Best Conservation Film. ? Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story: The miraculous journey of recovery made by a chef/adventurer who was shocked with 2,400 volts of electricity. Best WILD Spirit Award . ? The Frozen Road: Adventurer Ben Page's dramatic solo bike trip in the forbidding wilderness of the Canadian Arctic. Best Adventure Film.

"This New York WILD Film Festival will celebrate our fifth year of showcasing films that are exhilarating, devastating and spectacular," said Festival Founder and Executive Director Nancy Rosenthal. "The films can move us to tears and, hopefully, will move us closer to caring more about the future of the planet."

Special for the Next Generation of Conservationists and Explorers:

This year New York WILD will offer a program for the entire family, aimed at children ages nine and up. For the second year New York WILD continues its partnership with New York University and NYU Shanghai.

Among the sponsors of New York WILD are the Wildlife Conservation Society, University of Miami: Exploration Science, and The Explorers Club, with additional support from New York Women in Film & Television and New York University.

Program and tickets available January 17, 2018, at New York WILD.