WildSides is a non-profit that creates award-winning educational, documentary & journalistic multimedia. We also work with youth and organizations by using storytelling to emphasize the value of learning other people’s stories and perspectives.
We believe that all of us can have more civil conversations and find better solutions by learning to understand each other, even if we don’t agree with each other.
Scroll down to learn about our three primary 2018-2019 initiatives. But first...
Watch on Amazon or Vimeo: STARING DOWN FATE
Our Award-Winning Feature Documentary Film
Chris Lucash received the final verdict in June of 2015: He has ALS, a "terminal disease." Heartbroken and angry he started his journey to find meaning in life and in death. How does a person who depended so deeply on his physicality, working with wolves in the wild, deal with this debilitating disease: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS; also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease)? This is a transcendent story of a person and a species battling extinction side-by-side.
Chris spent the last 29 years on a team that reintroduced the endangered red wolf into the wild in eastern North Carolina. In 1986 zero red wolves existed outside of captivity. The wild population got up to an estimated 110 to 130 individuals, but just recently declined dramatically to 50 - 75 in the wild in the world. The entire program is under review and potentially faces its demise. Now Chris stares down fate along with the red wolf as they fight for their space and time.
This trailer is for the original feature-length documentary, Staring Down Fate. You will experience Chris' work with red wolves, learn about the importance he places on humans connecting with nature, and witness the extreme physical effects of a disease with many potential causes ranging from genetics to pollution. We will explore these potential causes of ALS, search for insight into ALS clusters, experience the struggle of knowing your life has changed dramatically and your days may be numbered, and search for how to feel fulfilled even when your career work is in jeopardy of being cut.
The film came about because Chris wants his young kids to be able to see what he did in life and in his career. Staring Down Fate will serve to fulfill Chris' dream for more people to learn about the plight of the elusive red wolf and for his kids to learn about nature, wildlife and how their father spent his life. The depth of this story and dissemination of the film will further increase awareness of the devastating effects of the disease throughout new constituencies and will illustrate the need for more ALS research into causes and treatments.
Join us on this journey and be inspired by Chris' story!
Four years of filming about the endangered red wolf issue took a drastic turn in 2015. Chris Lucash, a red wolf biologist, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). The following two years resulted in this film. Staring Down Fate is a documentary about searching for purpose in life and in mortality; about finding inspiration in the face of uncertainty. It is a story about 7.4 billion people and our relationship with nature, told through one person's life - Chris Lucash. This intimate, timely and deeply personal film inspires us to live our lives with purpose.
Join our three main initiatives for 2018 & 2019.
Red Wolf Conflict Untangled
This multimedia project is an update of our 2012 work. It explores the human and wildlife stories on all sides of the conflict over the endangered red wolf, while identifying similarities among everyone. We explore the social, economic and environmental aspects of the issues.
ALS, Environment & Wildlife
Building from the success of our documentary, Staring Down Fate, WildSides is developing educational multimedia delving into a new "Human-Wildlife Common Ground" project: environmental issues connected with human neurodegenerative diseases (like ALS, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's) and wildlife health.
Youth Storytellers
WildSides' new program to teach our youth how to tell other people's stories. Our purpose is to:
1) Teach our youth a skill set that will help them in school, life and their future; 2) encourage understanding and empathy for other perspectives; and 3) create a mentor network to help our youth on their road to success.
Support WildSides'
Initiatives
When you donate to WildSides, you can get behind-the-scenes access to our work. At some donation levels you can take part in strategy sessions. Other levels provide you pre-release access to films or other media. All levels bring you into the fold as we all work together to drive understanding, supplement the 24-hour news cycle with depth and knowledge, celebrate our differences and highlight our similarities in an effort to guide us forward. Together we can make this world a better place.
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