A wildlife festival, which returns to Perthshire for the second year, is celebrating news that it will be bringing an internationally famous film festival to the area direct
from the UN’s headquarters in New York.
Wild Connections, founded in 2010 to showcase Highland Perthshire’s potential as a wildlife tourism destination, will run from 8th – 16th October, offering around 30 events to enthusiasts.
Organisers are hailing the inclusion of nine award‐winning short films, brought here by Forestry Commission Scotland as part of the UN’s International Year of the Forests celebrations, as a major coup. They expect visitors will travel from far and wide to the Birnam Institute on Sunday
9th October for the free viewing of wildlife films, which were premiered in New York earlier this year.
James McDougall, national co‐ordinator for International Year of the Forests for Forestry Commission Scotland, said “The nine award‐winning short films truly bring home the benefits of forestry. Scotland’s strength in forestry continues to grow and I’m very pleased to see such a high quality series of films being shown in Scotland as part of our celebrations for International Year of the Forest.”
Adrian Davis, festival organiser, commented “We’re delighted to have such a prestigious film festival as part of our programme and to bring such significant films to Perthshire. We’re certain they will be popular so, although it’s free to attend, we are urging people to book their tickets online to ensure they get a seat.”
The range of events on offer at this year’s Wild Connections is strongly influenced by the International Year of the Forest celebrations, in particular demonstrating the rich wildlife that lives within Big Tree Country. Badgers, red squirrels, wild cats, pine martens, birds of prey, bats and red deer will all play starring roles in many of the events and activities.
Wildlife photography enthusiasts will not be disappointed either, as multi‐award winning photographer Peter Cairns will return to the festival with two master classes.