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Explore posts about Wild Commons Films | Filmmaker Discourse | Meet the Team
Wild Commons is a home for independent films about science, nature, and conservation.
Here, we go behind-the-scenes to explore the characters, context, and creative questions behind the films. Our goal is to dissect the process and purpose of environmental storytelling in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
Explore our posts below ⤵
Why Yanuni is on YouTube: Richard Ladkani on Breaking the Rules of Film Distribution
Why did acclaimed documentary filmmaker Richard Ladkani release YANUNI on YouTube instead of a major streaming platform? In an exclusive Wild Commons interview, Ladkani discusses his collaboration with Indigenous leader Juma Xipaya, the changing documentary industry, and why reaching the right audience matters more than securing a traditional distribution deal.
9 Nature Documentaries That Broke the Mold
From thrillers to comedies, these 9 nature documentaries broke the rules of environmental filmmaking and found surprising new ways to tell stories about our planet.
The Path of Puma-36: A Mountain Lion’s Fight for Survival
At 18 months old, a young mountain lion known as P-36 left his mother and set out across northern California to find a territory of his own. Over 1,500 miles of highways, rival territories, and ranchland, his collar data showed how hard it is for wildlife to move through a landscape built for people, and what it will take for us to share that landscape with them.
In Defense of Watching Bison Do Absolutely Nothing
Four hours. A herd of bison. No plot whatsoever. Why Wild Commons is making room for ambient nature, and the simple pleasure of spending time with the wild.
Chasing Ghosts - The Scientific Discovery Hiding in Plain Sight
For decades, one of the Everglades’ most elusive flowers held onto a mystery: what was pollinating the ghost orchid? Chasing Ghosts follows a team deep into the swamp, where looking a little closer leads to an unexpected scientific discovery.
What Happens When We Protect a Place From the People Who Live There?
For centuries, local communities lived alongside the wild landscape of Samaria Gorge. Today, conservation, mass tourism, and commercialization are reshaping that relationship. This film tells the story of people removed from a landscape, and the negative impacts that overtourism can have.
AI Can Create Nature Films. But Is It Still Documentary?
An AI-generated nature documentary has sparked a debate about the future of nonfiction filmmaking. As AI becomes part of documentary practice, the challenge is not choosing between technology and tradition, but preserving the values that have always defined the genre.
The True Story Behind Bluebird Man: How Ordinary People Helped Bring Bluebirds Back
Discover the remarkable conservation story behind Bluebird Man and learn how thousands of citizen scientists helped restore bluebird populations across North America.
Coexistence with crocodiles - what makes Phir Bhi (Even So) stand out amongst wildlife films
I first saw the short documentary, Phir Bhi (Even So), while attending the International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF) in Missoula, MT in the spring of 2025. Phir Bhi (Even So) stood out to me because it acknowledged the complexity and the nuance surrounding wildlife conflict issues. It’s hopeful, but realistic, and that’s an incredibly tricky balance to pull off in a wildlife documentary.
The Channel Island Fox: one of America’s Greatest COnservation COmebacks
The Channel Island Fox nearly disappeared from California’s Channel Islands in the span of a single decade. The Little Fox of Limuw examines the ecological collapse that drove its decline and the extraordinary conservation efforts that brought this unique species back from the brink.