Backyard Wilderness
3D Giant Screen Film for Science Centers and Museums
accompanied by an online classroom and activity guide
“WOW! Better than David Attenborough!! Never thought I would get to say that!”
“Truly beautiful work.”
Backyard Wilderness is a 43-minute Giant Screen film and multi-platform educational initiative about the great web of life that surrounds and sustains us, but which we have forgotten how to see. Set in and around a typical suburban home and neighborhood pond, it is an entertaining and poignant story that reveals with captivating imagery the miracles that unfold right under our noses each year in backyards across America – whether we see them or not. The film follows Katie, a 13-year-old screen-obsessed girl, and her family living next to the woods who are blind to the real-life spectacle around them, absorbed by an array of electronic devices in their busy lives. Katie gradually discovers the intricate secrets that nature has hidden so close to her front door and we experience the joy she finds in her interactions with this new world. The film reminds us that Wi-Fi is not the only connection that matters and that sometimes in ordinary places, you can uncover extraordinary things that can transform you forever - you just need to step outside.
It is probable that in the Eastern U.S., more people now live in closer proximity to wildlife than in any other place on Earth. Yet ironically, we are more disconnected from nature than ever before. Unstructured playtime outdoors has all but vanished from childhood. The average American kid now spends over seven hours a day in front of a screen. Child obesity is on the rise and diagnoses of depression and hyperactivity are multiplying at alarming rates. Perhaps most tellingly, the average American kid can name over 300 commercial brands, but only a few native plant and animal species that live in their neighborhood. Statistics such as these have led researchers to coin a term that would have been unimaginable even a generation ago: Nature Deficit Disorder.
Backyard Wilderness addresses this deficit head-on, reconnecting our kids to nature by allowing them to experience the world through animal eyes and at nature’s pace, inspiring a new sense of wonder and commitment to understanding the world right outside their own back door.
Distribution & Educational Outreach
Backyard Wilderness is distributed by SK Films, a leader in the Giant Screen film industry. The film is currently screening at science centers and museums worldwide.
The film is just the beginning of what we have to offer audiences because Backyard Wilderness is far more than just a movie. It’s a comprehensive, multi-platform educational effort that includes traveling interactive exhibits and a companion curriculum that meets U.S. Next Generation Science Standards and can be used in classrooms to allow teachers and students to explore the STEAM-related themes of the story in greater detail.
The educational outreach also includes ongoing events known as Backyard Wilderness BioBlitzes where people of all ages can come together to discover and document the species living in their own community. A BioBlitz is usually held by a museum, science center, or library and allows community members to explore a local park or area using the iNaturalist app to photo-document the plants and animals found there. The event-goers can participate in a number of games and activities to see how many species they can document in a set amount of time, and the evidence collected by the app then becomes official species occurrence records available for scientific use, thus allowing everyday people to become citizen scientists and have lots of fun along the way!
To find a theater near you, visit www.backyardwildernessfilm.com