The filmmakers behind theAcademy Award-winning documentaryFree Solo(2018) are back to profile one of the world’s foremost conservationists.
On Wednesday, National Geographic exclusively shared with PEOPLE the trailer for Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s new documentaryWild Life, which follows former Patagonia CEO and conservationist Kristine Tompkins and her late husband Douglas Tompkins' efforts to create significant space for new national parks across South America.
The documentary’s trailer teases clips of Kristine and others describing her romance with Douglas, a co-founder of clothing companies The North Face and Esprit, as they resolved to quit their jobs in the outdoor clothing industry and set about purchasing land in countries like Chile and Argentina with an end goal of donating the land back to those countries as fully-formed national parks.
Jimmy Chin/National Geographic Documentary Films
Utilizing archival footage of Douglas and in-person interviews with Kristine and filmmaker Chin, the film also explores Kris' efforts to finish her and her late husband’s work after hisdeath in 2015 at age 72 during a kayaking accidentin Chile.
Graham Deneen/National Geographic Documentary Films
Kris and Douglas “turned their attention to a visionary effort to create National Parks throughout Chile and Argentina” after they married in the 1990s, with the film showcasing “the highs and lows of their journey to effect the largest private land donation in history,” according to an official synopsis for the film.
“Jimmy and Chai have honored Doug’s and my life’s work in a profound, moving way,” Kristine Tompkins tells PEOPLE in a statement regarding the film. “I am grateful. I can only wish thatWild Lifeoffers a semblance of hope and reminds anyone who sees it that whoever you are and wherever you live you can make a difference in this world.”
Clair Popkin/National Geographic Documentary Films
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Filmmakers Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi, who previously collaborated with National Geographic onFree Solo, whichwon the Oscar for Best Documentary Featureat the 2019 Academy Awards, tell PEOPLE in a statement that they “love examining what humans can achieve when they commit to the impossible.”
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTARY FILMS
“Kris and Doug lived extraordinary lives, leaving everything behind to find meaning and love… Conservation at this level and scale changes the world,” the pair says. “We are so excited to share this story.”
Wild Lifepremieres theatrically nationwide beginning April 14 in New York City and Washington, D.C., among other cities. The film will make its broadcast debut on the National Geographic Channel May 25 and begins streaming on Disney+ May 26.
source: people.com
