Alexandria Film Festival Kicks Off 20th Anniversary with April 11 World Premiere of“Becoming Wild, a meditation on beauty in the natural world”by Local Filmmaker Jane Pittman at The Lyceum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Casie Graham | 301-873-3052 / grahamcasie@gmail.com
(ALEXANDRIA, VA) – On Saturday, April 11 from 2-4 pm, the Alexandria Film Festival in partnership with Four Mile Run Conservancy will present the world premiere of “Becoming Wild, a meditation on beauty in the natural world” by local, award-winning filmmaker Jane Pittman. The feature documentary explores how Alexandria residents can deliberately and thoughtfully nurture and sustain the natural world even as the city increases residential density sometimes at the expense of green spaces. Tickets ($15) for the film’s world premiere at The Lyceum are available now at AlexFilmFest.com. Following the film, Pittman will participate in an audience Q&A.
“What began as a short, personal film essay about beauty slowly grew into something much larger. Going wild in my own backyard didn’t just change the landscape. It changed me. It slowed me down and asked me to pay attention. I began to notice the small dramas unfolding every day — bees falling asleep on cone flowers, seed heads feeding finches long after the flowers had faded. Everything, it seemed, had a role. The more I learned, the more I understood that our ideas of order have come at a cost. In trying to control the land, we’ve stripped away much of what allows it to thrive. This film grew out of that tension — between the world I was taught to admire and the living world I was only beginning to see,” said Pittman. “I am deeply grateful to the Alexandria Film Festival and the Four Mile Run Conservancy for sponsoring the world premiere of this film and for helping bring awareness to a new understanding of beauty - one rooted in biodiversity and restoration.”
“‘Becoming Wild, a meditation on beauty in the natural world’ is the perfect film to kick off our 20th anniversary as the Alexandria Film Festival,” said Jill Ray, chair of the festival. “Jane's films have not only been featured in a number of our past festivals but have won our audience award two times! We are honored to premiere her latest work and explore its themes of growth and renewal as we celebrate 20 years of independent film."
“The film emphasizes the value of engaging with nature personally, daily, and in our neighborhoods,” said Conservancy president Kurt Moser. “We all live happier connected to the world this way, and we’re better caretakers of the places and communities we share.”
Sustainable, native plants are prominently featured in the film and are an important focus of local organizations including Four Mile Run Conservancy, Bona Terra, Regional Master Naturalists, and Alexandria Tree Stewards. After the screening and Q&A, Jeremy Tidd, owner of Bona Terra, will host a native plant talk and sale just outside The Lyceum. Tidd has been designing, maintaining, growing, and installing native plant gardens in the DMV for more than 20 years.
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The Alexandria Film Festival is made possible with support from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, the City of Alexandria, as well as the generous support of individual donors and corporate sponsors including: Adobe; Alexandria Gazette Packet and Connection Newspapers; Alexandria Hyundai; Alexandria Living Magazine; Alexandria Times; Bad Ass Coffee; Briar Tek; Burke & Herbert Bank; Conte’s Bike Shop; Continues Arcade; Charter Up; Cheesetique; Franconia Family Medicine; Hadeed Rug Cleaning; Hotel Heron; Jet’s Pizza; Jim Connolly/Long & Foster Real Estate; Law Office of Deborah Matthews; Matt & Tony’s; Old Town Crier; St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub; Ted’s Montana Grill; Total Wine; Union Sandwich Co.; Virginia Tech; Wegmans; and The Zebra.