2011 IWFF Wildlife Hero of the Year Award Given to Renowned Filmmaker & Author Chris Palmer for His Media Campaign to Reform Wildlife Filmmaking

Missoula, Montana, May 17, 2011 --- Long-time environmental film producer and activist Chris Palmer received the IWFF Wildlife Hero of the Year Award at the Awards Gala celebrating the 34th IWFF 2011 on Friday, May 13th. Palmer was selected for this first-time-ever award for his determined campaign to reform the wildlife filmmaking industry. His book, Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom, has been the engine behind the vigilant campaign Palmer is waging to clean up wildlife films.

Janet Rose, Executive Director of the International Wildlife Film Festival headquartered in Missoula, Montana, presented the award. IWFF was established in 1977, as the first juried wildlife film festival in the world, and continues to attract top filmmakers every year. This year's Festival and Awards Gala also recognized filmmaker, Greg MacGillivray, president of MacGillivray Freeman Films with the IWFF Lifetime Achievement Award for Media and Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, world renowned for his work with elephants. Douglas-Hamilton received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Conservation.

In awarding Chris Palmer the "IWFF Wildlife Hero of the Year Award" at the ceremony, Rose said, "Chris Palmer's book is must reading for anyone in this business or anyone who cares about wildlife. Shooting in the Wild has won huge praise from many distinguished individuals, including Jane Goodall, who called it a "very important and much-needed book." Chris's book is full of fascinating stories, great writing and unbelievable insights but it's what he's been doing since its publication that is particularly admirable.

Since the book came out, Palmer has given about 200 presentations and interviews, many on radio and television, campaigning to draw attention to the reforms needed to put an end to irresponsible sensationalism, staging, fabrication, harassment of animals, and lack of conservation messages in wildlife film and television.

Palmer's book is unique and there has been no other like it ever before. It is a book that was and continues to be desperately needed and is now in its second printing.According to Rose, "The IWFF Board and I think that no one this year has been more deserving of this special, Wildlife Hero of the Year Award than Chris Palmer and we were thrilled to give it to him at this important gathering of filmmakers, scientists and conservation leaders from all over the world."

For more information, please contact:
Janet Rose, Executive Director/Festival Director
International Wildlife Media Center
International Wildlife Film Festival
Montana CINE International Film Festival
718 S. Higgins Avenue
Missoula, MT 59801
www.wildlifefilms.org
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