International Wildlife Film Festival

What International Wildlife Film Festival does

The International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF) is a Missoula, Montana-based nonprofit organization that operates the world's longest-running wildlife film festival, founded in 1977 by bear biologist Chuck Jonkel at the University of Montana. The annual festival showcases wildlife and conservation films submitted by filmmakers from more than 50 countries and serves a diversified audience including general film enthusiasts, working filmmakers, conservationists and biologists, and K-12 students. Beyond the flagship event, IWFF runs the WildWalk + WildFest community parade and outdoor festival, a free Youth Matinee Program serving 3,000+ Western Montana students annually, and the year-round IWFF Presents screening series.

The organization owns and operates the historic Roxy Theater at 718 S. Higgins Ave., which it acquired in 2002. The Roxy is a non-profit arthouse venue with three cinema screens offering HD and 35mm projection, state-of-the-art sound systems, two stages, The Annex micro-cinema, and the Roxy Garden outdoor venue. IWFF's technology stack is intentionally lean: FilmChief powers virtual festival streaming with regional licensing controls and a goal of 24-hour global accessibility per film; Agile Ticketing handles box office and online ticket purchasing; Constant Contact manages newsletter distribution. The 2026 edition is the 49th annual festival; the 50th anniversary is scheduled for April 17–22, 2027, accompanied by a 50th Anniversary Safari to Brazil's Pantanal wetland (Sept 19–26, 2027).

IWFF's revenue model is diversified across event revenue, philanthropy, and memberships. Individual ticket prices range from $7 to $10 with membership discounts, while festival passes span $60–$150 across three tiers (All Access, All Screening, Virtual Access). Corporate sponsorships are structured across eight tiers from $500 (Giraffe) up to $25,000 (Grizzly Bear), with recognition delivered through radio spots on Montana Broadcasting Company, Roxy pre-show reels, festival materials, and event access. The Murmuration Society offers individual memberships from $300 (Dove) to $2,500 (Falcon), with higher tiers underwriting visiting filmmakers' travel and accommodation. Direct donations provide a fourth stream, with the organization noting that community sponsors collectively represent its largest revenue source. Core staff number approximately six, including Executive Director Sarah Ferguson, Development Director Tammy Bodlovic, and Film Festival Operations Manager David Mills-Low, with roles formally shared across IWFF and Roxy Theater operations.

Name

International Wildlife Film Festival

Legal name

International Wildlife Film Festival Ltd

Website

https://wildlifefilms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Wildlife Film Festival is a Missoula, Montana nonprofit operating the world's longest-running wildlife film festival. Founded in 1977, it annually showcases conservation films from 50+ countries, runs K-12 educational programming, and operates the historic Roxy Theater.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Film Festival & Community Cinema

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADAKAH

Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Exhibition (Cinemas, Film Festivals, Screenings)

SECONDARYMPADADAF

Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Documentary & Nonfiction Production

SECONDARYTHAJAIAJ

Conservation, Research & Volunteer Experiences

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Nature & Wildlife Experiences (National Parks, Wildlife Encounters, Eco-tours)

Keywords

• Wildlife film festival
• Conservation documentary screenings
• Nature film programming
• Community cinema events
• Educational film matinees

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single film tickets and festival passes including All Access Pass, All Screening Pass, and Virtual Access Pass. Single tickets range from $7-$10 depending on membership status; passes range from $60-$150.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers (Grizzly Bear $25,000, Black Bear $15,000, Panda Bear $10,000, Polar Bear $5,000, Lioness $3,000, Lanyard Sponsor $1,500, Flamingo $1,000, Giraffe $500). Sponsors receive recognition across radio ads, pre-show reels, festival materials, and event access.
3. Murmuration Society Membership: Individual membership program supporting visiting filmmakers' travel and accommodation expenses. Tiers include Falcon ($2,500), Snow Goose ($2,000), Starling ($500), and Dove ($300) with varying benefits including festival passes, VIP events, and exclusive merchandise.
4. Donations: Direct donations from supporters to support the festival's mission of promoting wildlife filmmaking and conservation storytelling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF) is a nonprofit organization that operates the world's longest-running wildlife and conservation film festival, held annually at the Roxy Theater in Missoula, Montana. Its core offering is the juried annual festival — featuring in-person and virtual film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and panel discussions — supplemented by year-round IWFF Presents screenings, a free Youth Matinee educational program for students, and community events such as WildWalk + WildFest. The festival sells individual tickets, multi-tier festival passes, and corporate sponsorships to support filmmakers and conservation storytelling.

Product overview

The International Wildlife Film Festival is a single annual event (now in its 50th edition, 2027) that encompasses the core film festival screenings, the WildWalk parade and WildFest celebration, and the Virtual Festival for online access. Supporting offerings include the Youth Matinee educational program for students, and the Murmuration Society membership for sponsor/filmmaker support. The festival's products work together to deliver an immersive wildlife and conservation film experience in person and online, with education and community engagement woven throughout.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WildWalk+WildFest: Annual parade and festival celebration associated with the International Wildlife Film Festival, featuring costumed participants and community activities.
• Murmuration Program
• IWFF Presents

Products and services

• International Wildlife Film Festival (Annual Event) Flagship annual wildlife and conservation film festival held at the Roxy Theater in Missoula, Montana since 1977. Features juried film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, and special events for filmmakers, conservationists, biologists, and general audiences. The 49th annual festival took place in 2026, with the 50th anniversary scheduled for April 17-22, 2027.
• Virtual Festival Online streaming complement to the annual festival, offering access to festival film selections via the FilmChief platform. Each film is made accessible globally for at least 24 hours, subject to regional blocking and licensing terms.
• Youth Matinee Program Free educational film screenings for over 3,000 Western Montana K-12 students annually, complemented by presentations from filmmakers, scientists, and animal guests. Held in collaboration with the University of Montana, with limited transportation funding available.
• WildWalk + WildFest Annual parade along Higgins Avenue celebrating wild nature, followed by WildFest at Caras Park featuring speakers, music, food vendors, and educational activities. Open community event tied to the festival.
• Murmuration Society Membership Program Individual membership program supporting visiting filmmakers' travel and accommodation expenses. Tiers include Falcon ($2,500), Snow Goose ($2,000), Starling ($500), and Dove ($300) with benefits including festival passes, VIP events, and exclusive merchandise.
• IWFF 50th Anniversary Safari Week-long wildlife expedition to Brazil's Pantanal wetland in September 19-26, 2027, hosted in partnership with Rewild Safaris. Limited to 10 adventurers of all abilities, featuring jungle hikes, canoe outings, riverside treks by horseback, cultural experiences, and jaguar-spotting opportunities.
• IWFF Presents (Year-Round Screenings) Year-round screening series at the Roxy Theater between June 2027 and March 2028, showcasing wildlife and conservation films outside the annual festival window. Includes co-sponsorship benefit programming and special screenings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ students reached annually through free Youth Matinee Program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Rewild SafarisflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2027IWFF has partnered with conservation travel company Rewild Safaris for the IWFF 50th Anniversary Safari to Brazil's Pantanal (September 19-26, 2027). The trip celebrates the festival's 50th anniversary at the world's largest tropical wetland and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Activities include jungle hikes, canoe outings, riverside treks by horseback, cultural experiences with local guides, and opportunities to spot wildlife including jaguars. Limited to 10 adventurers of all abilities.
• Roxy TheaterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Roxy Theater is IWFF's home venue and parent organization. Founded by bear biologist Chuck Jonkel in 1977, IWFF purchased the historic Roxy Theater in 2002. The non-profit arthouse venue houses three cinema screens with HD and 35mm projection, two stages, The Annex micro-cinema, and the Roxy Garden outdoor space.
• Tapestry by Hilton (DoubleTree)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial hotel of the Montana Film Festival, offering walking distance accommodation to the Roxy Theater, University of Montana, and downtown Missoula. IWFF directs visiting filmmakers to book lodging through this partnership.
• Mountain Line (Missoula Public Transit)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward-winning, FREE public transit system in Missoula that IWFF recommends for festival attendees to get around town during the festival.
• Montana Broadcasting CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio broadcasting partner for IWFF-themed radio ads. Number of radio spots varies by sponsorship tier (30-80 spots per sponsor), reaching audiences across Montana.
• University of MontanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIWFF has an extensive collaboration with the University of Montana since 2013, with Youth Matinee screenings held on campus. Dr. Erim Gómez from UM's Wildlife Biology Program serves as an IWFF jury member. The UC Theater hosts special events like 'A Wilder Way Forward' panel discussions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: North Carolina-based documentary festival with a similar juried competition, filmmaker engagement, and nonprofit community cinema model, though broader in subject matter beyond wildlife and conservation.
• Doc NYC: Larger-scale general documentary film festival based in New York — comparable on documentary curatorial model and industry networking, but operates at much larger scale and broader thematic scope than IWFF's wildlife-specific focus.
• PBS Nature (WNET/Thirteen): Long-running PBS wildlife and natural-history documentary series — comparable as a destination for wildlife filmmakers seeking exposure, and a potential commissioning/distribution partner for IWFF alumni, though much larger in scale and broadcast-focused.

Direct peers

• Wildlife Conservation Film Festival: New York-based festival dedicated to conservation and wildlife film programming with an explicit environmental mission — overlaps IWFF on curatorial standards, audience demographic (conservation-minded viewers), and B2B sponsorship appeal to wildlife NGOs.
• Wildscreen: UK-based charity running the Wildscreen Festival and Wildscreen Network — directly comparable as a wildlife and environmental film festival with industry networking, conservation storytelling, and international filmmaker engagement that mirrors IWFF's mission and program structure.
• Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour: Banff-based festival celebrating mountain, adventure, and natural-world filmmaking with a year-round global screening tour — directly comparable in subject matter (wildlife/nature), multi-city distribution model via partner cinemas, and sponsorship-driven nonprofit operation.
• Mountainfilm (Telluride): Telluride-based annual festival dedicated to documentary films exploring adventure, environment, and conservation — overlaps IWFF strongly on subject matter (wildlife, nature, conservation), community-driven model, and audience profile, and is a leading comparable for premium mountain-region festival operations.
• Jackson Wild: Formerly the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, Jackson Wild is the most direct peer — a wildlife and conservation film festival focused on the natural world, with a similar juried competition, filmmaker networking, and conservation mission. Both compete for the same international wildlife filmmaker submissions and sponsor relationships.
• Environmental Film Festival (DC Environmental Film Festival): Annual Washington D.C. festival showcasing environmental and conservation films with filmmaker Q&As and educational programming — directly comparable in mission, audience, and community cinema model, though larger in scale and urban footprint.

Others

• The Roxy Theater (Missoula): Missoula's nonprofit arthouse cinema — IWFF's home venue and effectively its parent operating entity. While not a competing festival, it is structurally and operationally intertwined with IWFF, sharing staff (Executive Director, Development Director, Art Director) and programming resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/wildlifefilms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-wildlife-film-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Wildlife Film Festival