Cascade PBS will debut its new documentary Wolf Land May 17 and 18 as an official selection at the Seattle International Film Festival. The 71- minute film will make its broadcast and streaming debut this fall.
Wolf Land follows “wolf-protecting cowboy” Daniel Curry as he works to find common ground with rural landowners, including fourth-generation rancher Jerry Francis. The relationship between the two men goes beyond a cross-culture odd-couple pairing to show how they can indeed save both ranching and wolves in northeastern Washington.
“Human-wildlife conflict is a story typically told in polarizing extremes,” said director and producer Sarah Hoffman. “Our goal with this film was to document two people in this conflict searching to meet in the middle to protect what’s most dear to each of them: for Daniel, endangered wolves; for Jerry, his cattle and way of life.”
The two men’s stories are documented entirely through verité, rather than with interviews, to fully immerse the audiences in their worlds.
In 2023, more than 250 wolves in 42 packs were documented in Washington state, mostly in eastern Washington where most of Wolf Land takes place.
From 2023-25, Curry and Francis worked together using Curry’s nonlethal methods of wolf deterrence, which resulted in zero kills or even attacks on Francis’ animals. By contrast, during the same period the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recorded 64 wolf attacks on livestock, which led to the killing of 12 wolves by the department or citizens.
The annual Seattle International Film Festival is one of the largest international cinema events in the world, celebrating films from more than 80 countries and regions around the globe