Join the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and Wildpath for an evening of powerful storytelling through three short documentaries that explore the wild heart of Florida and those working to protect it:

Patchwork Wild: Stitching the Last Strands (22m): Official premiere of the latest expedition documentary film from the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and partners following a multi-day journey from threaded strands of cypress and shallow sloughs highlighting the vital connections working lands make between protected wilderness in southwest Florida.

The Little Brown Bird (33m): Once down to 80 in the wild, the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow is at risk of extinction. Biologist Fabiola ‘Fabby’ Baeza-Tarin and an unexpected team work together to protect the sparrows, their shrinking habitat, and the headwaters of the Everglades.

The Book of George (15m): From Brooklyn’s concrete jungle to the heart of the Everglades, Black wildlife photographer George McKenzie Jr. is transforming his lens into a beacon of change. Swapping the weight of a gun for the promise of a camera, McKenzie captures city pigeons and rats as well as elusive panthers. A rare gem in the predominantly white canvas of wildlife photography, McKenzie is empowering kids of color to shift their gaze to conservation. This film features mature language that may not be suitable for all audiences.

The evening will feature a special introduction by Mallory Dimmitt and Carlton Ward Jr. and a panel discussion with filmmakers Page Buono, KT Bryden, and Danny Schmidt before the films. After the screening, guests are invited to participate in an audience Q&A with characters from the films, including Buck Maclaughlin, Fabby Baeza-Tarin, and George McKenzie Jr.

MEET THE HOSTS & FILMMAKERS:

Carlton Ward Jr. is a conservation photographer, Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer. He founded the Florida Wildlife Corridor project in 2010 and created Wildpath, an organization that uses storytelling to inspire the protection of wildlife corridors. Carlton and Wildpath led the campaign to create the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act in 2021 and founded the Connected Planet project with National Geographic in 2025 to scale their model for accelerating the protection of wildlife corridors globally. Carlton’s work is featured in the National Geographic film Path of the Panther. He is an eighth-generation Floridian with a family ranch in the Peace River Valley and is now working to photograph and film the underappreciated beauty of the Gulf of Mexico.

Mallory Dimmitt is the inaugural CEO of the Corridor Foundation and former Vice President of Strategic Development for Lykes Bros. Inc., a fifth-generation family-owned agribusiness based in Florida. She was awarded a Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship at Duke University’s Nicholas School of Environment, where she earned a Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) in Environmental Economics and Policy. Mallory is an alumnus of Class IX of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources and a current member of Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class 39. She has been a participant in all Corridor expeditions.

Page Buono (Patchwork Wild) is a director, writer and producer working at the confluence of human and environmental issues. In her role with Day’s Edge Productions, Page wrote and produced for the Emmy-nominated PBS series, Human Footprint (the second season now in production), as well as directed and produced numerous short films for science education and conservation advocacy.

KT Bryden (Little Brown Bird) is an Emmy-winning cinematographer, conservationist, and storyteller dedicated to creating compelling narratives about the natural world. Her work, featured on platforms such as Disney+, PBS, and National Geographic, bridges the gap between science and storytelling. As the Executive Producer and Film Director at Wildpath, KT partners with scientists, conservationists, and storytellers to craft powerful, purpose-driven films.

Danny Schmidt (The Book of George) is an award-winning director, producer, and cinematographer of non-fiction television, documentaries, and short films. He has made films for PBS, National Geographic, Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV, and many others. Much of his work is rooted in the wilds of Florida: He has directed two previous films for the Florida Wildlife Corridor – The Last Green Thread and The Wild Divide.

This screening is held in the Historic Duncan Auditorium. This space utilizes open seating for this event, seat selection is not required.