International Wildlife Film Festival

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International Wildlife Film Festival April 19-24, 2025
The Roxy Theater
Missoula, MT

We are six months away from IWFF50, and submissions are OPEN! Send us your films and help us build an incredible program...
10/15/2026

We are six months away from IWFF50, and submissions are OPEN! Send us your films and help us build an incredible program celebrating half a century of wildlife filmmaking!

FilmFreeway link is in our bio.

It’s time to get wild!

Team IWFF had a great time talking festival posters, the ‘80s, and cane toads for World Animal Day yesterday. Thanks for...
10/05/2026

Team IWFF had a great time talking festival posters, the ‘80s, and cane toads for World Animal Day yesterday. Thanks for coming out, Missoula!

And big thanks to Charismatic Minifauna Lab and friends for joining us!

This Sunday, October 4th, after our screening of 'Cane Toads: An Unnatural History', we'll be having a Q&A session with ...
10/01/2026

This Sunday, October 4th, after our screening of 'Cane Toads: An Unnatural History', we'll be having a Q&A session with a robust panel of herpetologists from the University of Montana Wildlife Biology program!

Dr. Erim Gómez is an Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana. He earned both his Masters degree and Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. His research focuses on the habitat ecology of charismatic minifauna, like crayfish, amphibians, butterflies, and birds. Gómez is passionate about diversifying the STEM and conservation professions.

Whitney Adam is a PhD student at the University of Montana. She serves as Lead Herpetologist for a 20+ year biodiversity monitoring program in Cusuco National Park, Honduras, one of the top 25 most irreplaceable sites for amphibian conservation. Adam's research focuses on the demographic and genetic effects of disease and land-use change on frogs.

David Tevs is a PhD student at the University of Montana. He is most interested in learning how species' traits shape their distributional limits. His research is focused on contrasting the roles of thermal and water maintenance biology on the distribution and activity patterns of lizards in Western Montana.

Come armed with your best questions about amphibians and other charismatic critters from around the globe!

Tickets available on TheRoxyTheater.org

09/29/2026

This Sunday, October 4th, is World Animal Day!

To celebrate, the International Wildlife Film Festival is bringing a short doc double feature by Australian documentarian Mark Lewis to the big screen.

In 1988, Mark Lewis exploded onto the scene with 'Cane Toads: An Unnatural History', a documentary detailing the spread of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads through Australia in a botched effort to introduce them as pest control. His take on an ecological crisis was experimental and comedic, an early landmark in the expanding definition of what wildlife filmmaking can look like.

Throughout his career, Lewis continued to seek out and share remarkable stories of human-animal relationships and interactions. His 2000 film 'A Natural History of the Chicken' combines interviews and reenactments to investigate the role of one of the most important animals in American life: the chicken.

The films will screen at 3:00 PM. After the screening, we'll be joined by Erim Gómez, assistant professor of wildlife biology and leader of UM's Charismatic Minifauna Lab, along with some of his students for a discussion about the importance of amphibians!

In 1978, acclaimed director Barbet Schroeder entered the universe of the world’s most famous primate to create the capti...
09/09/2026

In 1978, acclaimed director Barbet Schroeder entered the universe of the world’s most famous primate to create the captivating documentary 'Koko: A Talking Gorilla.'

The film introduces us to Koko soon after she was brought from the San Francisco Zoo to Stanford University by Dr. Penny Patterson for a controversial experiment—she would be taught the basics of human communication through American Sign Language.

Released the same year as the very first International Wildlife Film Festival, this entertaining, troubling, and still relevant documentary evokes the science-minded, educational style of the films programmed in the earliest days of IWFF.

This screening is sponsored by Farmers State Bank!

Do you have memories and stories to tell of your own about the International Wildlife Film Festival? Are you a fan of IWFF, a former employee, current or former volunteer or a friend of IWFF’s founder Chuck Jonkel? The IWFF team would like to hear your story! Please sign up for a 15 minute slot to share your experiences with IWFF prior to the screening of 'Koko: A Talking Gorilla.' The sign-up link is in our bio!

IWFF is thrilled to unveil our Road to 50 repertory series! Join us as we reflect on half a century of wildlife filmmaki...
09/08/2026

IWFF is thrilled to unveil our Road to 50 repertory series! Join us as we reflect on half a century of wildlife filmmaking, featuring some of the most beloved documentaries of all time.

The Road to 50 begins Tuesday, September 15th, with 1977's 'Koko: A Talking Gorilla.' Tickets for 'Koko' and more are available now at theroxytheater.org or in the box office.

We're saving you a seat!

The IWFF team is hard at work collecting old IWFF designs, but we need more! If you have an IWFF T-shirt, hat, or anythi...
09/04/2026

The IWFF team is hard at work collecting old IWFF designs, but we need more! If you have an IWFF T-shirt, hat, or anything else from a past festival, we want to see it. Send a message to [email protected]. Here are some designs we love!

We have some big news coming soon, so stay tuned!

Check it out! From the first International Wildlife Film Festival in 1978 through the fifth in 1982, the festival poster...
08/14/2026

Check it out!

From the first International Wildlife Film Festival in 1978 through the fifth in 1982, the festival poster was a variation of a design by John Stern. It features the original IWFF logo, made up of a bear, an elk, and an eagle, all animals that have reappeared in the IWFF50 logo!

These posters from 1979, 1981, and 1982 show a few different color variations we've used of Stern's design.

The IWFF team hopes to share all 49 of the past festival posters ahead of our 50th anniversary, but we need some help! Posters from 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1992 are missing from our files. If you know where they might be, send us a message!

A special anniversary calls for a special color scheme. For IWFF50, we looked to the natural world for inspiration!Prese...
08/04/2026

A special anniversary calls for a special color scheme. For IWFF50, we looked to the natural world for inspiration!

Presenting our official IWFF color guide:
-Grizzly Bear Brown🐻
-Orangutan Orange🦧
-Seahorse Yellow🐠
-Damselfly Blue🦋
-Snowy Owl White🦉

We can’t wait to see these colors in action at IWFF50!

07/22/2026

In 2027, the International Wildlife Film Festival is going to Brazil! And you can come too!

As part of the celebration of our 50th year, IWFF has partnered with conservation travel company Rewild Safaris, and we're currently booking spots on the trip set to begin September 19th, 2027.

Brazil’s Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland and a United Nations World Heritage Site. The week-long safari seeks to bring travelers face to face with exotic birds, playful monkeys, and the elusive jaguar. Activities include jungle hikes, canoe outings, and riverside treks by horseback, as well as cultural experiences like traditional campfires with local guides and information sessions on Indigenous and ranching cultures.

Follow the link in our bio to find out more about Rewild Safaris and how you can join us in one of the wildest places on Earth!

Address

718 S Higgins Avenue
Missoula, MT
59801

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+14065419364

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