Alexandria Film Festival Premieres “Becoming Wild” by Jane Pittman

Alexandria, VA – Filmmaker Jane Pittman might legitimately be called a nature narrator, one focused on the environmental surroundings of her Del Ray neighborhood and the Four Mile Run Conservation area filled with tidal marsh, streams, and lush native foliage. With her latest film, Becoming Wild: A mediation on beauty in the natural world, the Alexandria Film Festival kicks off its 20th Anniversary on Saturday, April 11, at its “World Premiere” in Old Town.

The event is scheduled to run from 2 to 4 p.m. and marks a continuing partnership between the Alexandria Film Festival and the Four Mile Run Conservancy; it presents the world premiere of the local award-winning filmmaker at a special screening for the AFF’s 20th anniversary.  Pittman said the documentary explores how Alexandria residents can nurture and sustain the natural world even as the city increases residential density sometimes at the expense of green spaces. Tickets are available now at AlexFilmFest.com.

“What began as a short, personal film essay about beauty slowly grew into something much larger. Going wild in my own backyard didn’t just change the landscape. It changed me. It slowed me down and asked me to pay attention. I began to notice the small dramas unfolding every day — bees falling asleep on cone flowers, seed heads feeding finches long after the flowers had faded. Everything, it seemed, had a role. The more I learned, the more I understood that our ideas of order have come at a cost,” said Pittman. “In trying to control the land, we’ve stripped away much of what allows it to thrive. This film grew out of that tension — between the world I was taught to admire and the living world I was only beginning to see.”

Pittman, who has garnered two previous AFF awards, said she is “deeply grateful to the Alexandria Film Festival and the Four Mile Run Conservancy for sponsoring the world premiere of this film and for helping bring awareness to a new understanding of beauty – one rooted in biodiversity and restoration.” Pittman said that over time she has re-introduced some native plants in her Del Ray yard as part of habitat restoration.

“Becoming Wild, a meditation on beauty in the natural world is the perfect film to kick

off our 20th anniversary as the Alexandria Film Festival,” said Jill Ray, AFF chair. “Jane’s films have not only been featured in a number of our past festivals but have won our audience award two times! We are honored to premiere her latest work and explore its themes of growth and renewal as we celebrate 20 years of independent film.”

“We’re very fortunate as a city to have our own film festival. Many festivals don’t last in cities our size beyond a couple of years due to a lack of visibility among filmmakers, funding, and volunteer commitment,” Ray added. “The Alexandria community – from businesses to residents to the Alexandria Commission for the Arts – continues to be very supportive of the festival as an important pillar of the visual arts and agent of community impact.”

Four Mile Run Conservancy president Kurt Moser concurred with the AFF board. “The film emphasizes the value of engaging with nature personally, daily, and in our neighborhoods,” said Moser. “We all live happier connected to the world this way, and we’re better caretakers of the places and communities we share.”

Sustainable, native plants are prominently featured in the film and are an important focus of local organizations including Four Mile Run Conservancy, Bona Terra, Regional Master Naturalists, and Alexandria Tree Stewards. After the screening and the Q&A with Pittman, Jeremy Tidd, owner of Bona Terra, will host a native plant talk and sale just outside The Lyceum.

Previously, Pittman has won acclaim for her films Be Moved, which features a local dance legacy of more than 30 years, and Coming Back to the Hoop, which features senior women’s basketball.