People and Wolves Documentary makes its way down-under’ to Australia.

People & Wolves has been selected as a quarterfinalist in the Australia Independent Film Festival (AIFF)24 .

This means our documentary short film is definitely in the running and maybe a festival winner! Either way, what is impressive is that People & Wolves’ bold statement with a powerful message is reaching Australian audiences!

As of today’s date, People & Wolves has done rather well in the film festival circuit in the best documentary short category: Four Award Winners, One Finalist, Two Quarter-Finalists, and One Nominee.

People & Wolves cast and crew are honored and humbled to be selected as a quarter-finalist by AIFF24!

The Australia Independent Film Festival (AIFF) proudly acknowledges the First Peoples—the Traditional Owners of the lands where we live and work—and recognizes their continuing connection to land, water, and community. We pay respect to Elders—past, present, and emerging—and acknowledge the important role Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders continue to play within the film industry and our community. We are an inclusive festival that encourages and supports entries from people of all races, beliefs, and backgrounds.

People & Wolves: a story of coexistence

For centuries, the Ojibwe have lived alongside their brother Ma’iingan, who we know in English as the wolf. In February 2021, a brutal assault, a hunt on their wolf relative, stirs emotion and grief for Ma’iingan as they know what happens to him will happen to them.

A Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin Film by Rachel Tilseth and edited by Justin Koehler.

Cast: Edith Leoso, Peter David, Marvin DeFoe, Michael Waasegiizhig Price, Patrick Durkin, Sandy Gokee, John Johnson Sr., and Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace.

Directed and Produced by Rachel Tilseth, co-producer Manish Bhatt, Writer Rachel Tilseth, and cameraman Tyler Grape. Poster art by Ned Gannon, Featured song ” Don’t Know Why, But They Do” Words & Music by Joe De Benedetti & Noah Hill.

People & Wolves cast member Jane Goodall said, “Wolves are highly intelligent, have a rich emotional life, and have feelings such as fear, anxiety, contentment, frustration, compassion, and so on. Wolves are intensely loyal to PAC members and are likely to grieve of the death or disappearance of a close companion. In other words, they show many of the characteristics that make the domestic dog man’s best friend. Of course they do. They’re the ancestors of all breeds of dogs.”

In an interview with People & Wolves film, Edith Leoso said, “…we, as Annishanaabe, know a lot about the wolf…our brother. …people who have dogs treat them like family members…dogs came from those wolves. …pets warn us that something might harm us. They learn this from Ma’iingan. Those beings, our friends, our fur babies…they are just like Ma’iingan. ”

People & Wolves documentary is a moving tribute to the deep bond between the Ojibwe people and the wolves of Wisconsin. It is a bold statement with a powerful message. It is educational, insightful, and deeply poignant, shedding light on the cultural and spiritual impacts of wolf hunting on an Indigenous community.