Now Available!

Watch: http://vimeo.com/ondemand/grayareathefilm

NOW STREAMING ON VIMEO!

Now streaming on Vimeo On Demand! Purchase for $14.99 or Rent the film for just $4.99. Be sure to leave a review and let us know what you think!

Synopsis:
In the American Southwest, a unique species of wolf unlike any other is making a comeback. Considered extinct nearly 40 years ago, the little known Mexican gray wolf has slowly pulled back from the very brink — against all odds. From a founding population of just seven animals, this species has slowly grown to a current wild population of approximately 100, only to face a new threat from within: its own genetics. As part of a bold recovery mission, one lone wolf is given a chance to offer new hope for the survival of her species. In telling this story, narrated by Chris Morgan, “Gray Area” explores whether there can be a balanced and sustainable future where ranchers, conservationists, locals, and biologists alike can coexist with this apex predator.

Watch the film here: http://vimeo.com/ondemand/grayareathefilm

GRAY AREA WINS “BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY” IN NEW MEXICO!

After working extremely hard to finish the film for the past five years, I’m extremely proud to say Gray Area won “Best Short Documentary” at the Albuquerque Film & Music Experience!! As a first time filmmaker, this is pretty exciting, yet it’s also great for Mexican wolves! It’s been an incredible past couple of months, screening our film in Arizona, Montana, and just recently in New Mexico. We also just learned it has been selected for the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in New York! It’s been an amazing journey!

I have submitted Gray Area into several other festivals so fingers crossed it gets into some of them! Each festival helps bring added exposure to the film, and to the story of the Mexican wolf. This is why we made this film – to bring awareness to this critically endangered species! This film tells a remarkable story, and weaves an amazing narrative that truly covers the whole spectrum of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Project, while staying balanced in it’s approach. We’ve heard over and over again on how well done it is, and how balanced it is to represent all sides involved. This is important, as it helps bring people to the table for discussion – something that we work hard for following the film. In New Mexico, we held a panel discussion with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife, and several of the characters from the film itself.  It’s good to see the film do what it’s intended for!

I’m looking forward to the months coming ahead, and stay tuned, as there will likely be more updates on future festivals and screenings! For now, enjoy some of these photos from our win in Albuquerque!

Cheers,

Alan

Executive Producer Alan Lacy standing with the “Best Short Documentary” Award

Reuniting with a few of the experts in the film. From left to right: Alan’s wife, Alan Lacy, Dave Parsons, Jean Ossorio, Peter Ossorio, Sherry Barrett

Panel Discussion with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife, and several experts from the film.

UPCOMING SCREENINGS!

FILM PREMIERE’S JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

Now that “Gray Area: Wolves of the Southwest” has been completed, the time for the first film screenings are just around the corner! The past several weeks have been exciting ones for me, having completed the film and also learning it has been made an “Official Selection” of the 40th International Wildlife Film Festival this coming April! I couldn’t be more proud! The film will also be the feature film for the night at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour in Flagstaff, Arizona – hosted by the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project. For those of you interested in seeing the film, here are two great options for you with more dates to come soon!

UPCOMING PREMIERS/SCREENINGS:

Our new trailer is about to be released as well which I’m extremely excited about. It captures the essence of the film, with beautiful shots of nature, and stunning imagery.
Sincerely, Alan Lacy Director/Producer

Film Festivals and screenings are amazing ways to raise awareness about the Mexican wolf that can reach audiences otherwise unobtainable. These events can also end up being rather expensive. Help us get Gray Area into as many venues as possible by supporting the film below!

Wrapping Up Post-Production!

FINAL TOUCHES BEING MADE TO GRAY AREA!

It’s been a long and challenging road, but I’m finally nearing the end of post-production! This means that Gray Area: Wolves of the Southwest is nearly complete! Finally! I began this project back in 2011 with a determination to do something for Mexican wolves to help create awareness. At the time, roughly 50 wolves were known to exist in the wild, and now today, that number is hovering around 100 wild lobos. Once the final touches are made, I will then begin the process of getting the film out to the world! This means film festivals, screenings, maybe even a chance of a broadcast – all intended to generate more awareness for the lobo.

For those of you reading this who have supported me throughout this project, I can’t begin to thank you enough! It’s been such a challenging and uphill battle to reach the point where I’m at today with this film. It’s truly remarkable. Thank you! Very soon you will get a chance to see all of the hard work that went into this project, and you’ll enjoy watching the film and learning more about the Mexican gray wolf. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

– Alan Lacy

MEXICAN WOLVES NEED YOUR HELP!

MEXICAN WOLVES NEED YOUR HELP!

Now more than ever!

Recently we learned that approximately 15 Mexican gray wolves were illegally shot and killed this past year since their population numbers climbed above 100 for the first time in the programs history. It could also be the first time this many wolves have been illegally poached. NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE THEY NEED YOUR HELP! We have designed our film to be an educational film, built around the premise of awareness for this species in hopes that a well balanced narrative will help create a better understanding of wolves and the issues at hand. Our film is important, and it needs to be completed soon! But we need your help to finish it!

There are THREE WAYS in which you can help us finish this important film: DONATE, SHARE, or GET INVOLVED.

To Donate: There are several ways in which you can donate to help us finish this film. The first is to give directly by clicking HERE. Thanks to the Wolf Education and Research Center, if you would like to make a tax-deductible gift, you can do so by clicking HERE. Just be sure to notate “Gray Area” when you give. The final way to give is to support our InDemand campaign on Indiegogo (also tax-deductible) by clicking HERE and selecting an available “perk” and pledging the given amount or other you wish to give. It doesn’t matter what amount you give, it just matters that you give what you can. We understand not everyone can! That’s why we have these other two options for you!

To Share: Simply forward this on to your friends and family, asking them to help and become a part of this important film too! Everyone can become a voice for the lobo!

To Get Involved: Talk to us about ways in which you would like to use our film to help generate awareness for the Mexican wolf in your own community. If we can raise up an educated public, these wolves will stand a better chance in the wild!

Thank you so much for your support! More importantly, thank you for caring deeply about Mexican wolves. Together we CAN make a difference. After all, it takes a pack right? Please enjoy the video above, and let us know what you think!

Sincerely,

Alan Lacy Director/Producer

Coming Soon!

Postproduction Begins!

Gray Area: Wolves of the Southwest

It’s been one year since our first major shoot in Wolf Country and we have come a long ways! We are beginning the first stages of postproduction, organizing the footage, and preparing it for the big edit! In other words, we are putting the film together! It’s extremely exciting seeing this film finally enter this stage of production. We’ve brought on a extremely talented editor who has years of experience writing, editing, and producing series for National Geographic Channel. His skill and experience bring an exciting component to the film!

It’s amazing to think we are nearing the final months of production. We are seeking our final finishing funds for the film, which will take $15,000 to complete! If you would like to help, please share and help spread the word! Also, you can still donate to our final campaign to finish the film! Thank you so much!

Donate

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SHOOT 3 FULLY FUNDED!!!

Howls Of Thanks

We Finally Made It — Thank you for your support

I honestly don’t know where to begin! We reached our minimum goal yesterday on Indiegogo with 3 days to spare!! Absolutely incredible! We could not have come this far without your support and help. Thank you. It means so much to me. We are now able to make shoot 3 into a reality! We can’t wait to get into the field to search, find, and film the elusive Mexican wolf!

We Reached Our Goal, But That Doesn’t Mean We Have to Stop there!

We still have 3 days left on our campaign, and we want to make the most of them! If we can raise just $4,500 more, we will be able to travel to St. Louis and film where the Mexican wolf began it’s journey to recovery just over 30 years ago. Help us reach our 1st stretch goal:

STRETCH GOAL #1: $30,000

Of the hundreds and hundreds of films on Indiegogo, we have climbed up to the top page! We are currently #7 in a list including people such as Simon’s Cat, the loveable animated cartoon on Youtube! We are also being featured in Indiegogo’s newsletter that is distributed around the world! This is HUGE for the Mexican wolf, many more people will see their current plight. If we can hit our 1st STRETCH goal, we’d love to make this film even better! That’s why we’ve created:

STRETCH GOAL #2: $40,000

If we can reach this by August 7th (3 days from now), it will allow us to do the editing and post production professionally! With this goal met, we can hire a top professional editor to make this film stand out! That would be incredible! It would truly make this film howl for wolves!

Thank you so very much for your support! WE DID IT!!!

Sincerely,
Alan Lacy
Film Director/Producer

New Film Title for The Last Pack!

Gray Area: Wolves of the Southwest

As we have continued filming the story of the Mexican wolf, we have decided to change the name of our current working title to Gray Area: Wolves of the Southwest. The further we dive into the story surrounding the Mexican wolf, the grayer the issues become. What is recovery? What does recovery mean for the wolf? What does it mean for the rancher? What about wildlife managers or wildlife advocates? Even the area where the wolf currently is resides, known as the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area, is a somewhat gray area. When we look at all of these issues, it becomes very clear how much of a gray area it is, it’s kind of in the middle but where exactly? What is it going to take for the Mexican wolf to recover? The wolf itself has become a victim, caught in the middle between competing visions for the future of the west. Our focus is to reach people who are currently on the fence or undecided on the issue of wolf recovery. We want them to make up their own mind after seeing our film, presented with the facts, science, and understanding of the issues from both sides of the story. True recovery can only happen in the middle, within the mind, and then on the ground.

[Read more…]

Exciting New Chapter!

The Last Pack: A Return to the Wild has some exciting and great news! We are excited to announce that the Wolf Education and Research Center (W.E.R.C.) has agreed to assist us in generating awareness for the Mexican gray wolf by becoming our fiscal agent! This means that we now have the ability to offer a tax benefit to anyone who supports our film! It also means that we now have the ability to reach many more people on the importance of Mexican wolf conservation in the Southwestern United States and Mexico! The Wolf Education and Research Center is best known as the center that housed the Sawtooth Pack, one of the most recognized wolves on film. It is an honor to work together with W.E.R.C on this important project.  As we generate more awareness for the Mexican wolf, their recovery in the wild becomes a very real possibility. We have been diligently working on this film, and recently spent 9 days filming in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area during the month of March.

As part of this new chapter in this project we have decided to turn this film into a full length feature film, giving the Mexican wolf even more time in the spotlight. This means that we will be working hard to ensure that we can make the greatest impact for the “lobo.” We will be returning to the Mexican Wolf Recovery Area throughout the year, capturing the footage we need to tell their story. Thanks to the W.E.R.C., we now have a platform to accomplish our goals for this film.

As a thanks for becoming our fiscal agent, we will help W.E.R.C gain a greater reach by infusing our fans with theirs. As our fiscal agent, they will also receive 10% of the funds received to help them with their yearly budget and administrative costs. As they are an all-volunteer operation, this will help them meet their operational costs. In other words, your support not only helps Mexican wolves but also an organization that is working on the front lines of wolf recovery in the United States. We will be using this film as an educational based tool to promote wolf recovery once finished, and will also use it to give back to the community by helping W.E.R.C. with their yearly operational costs. They will be recognized in the film’s credits as well, for their support and assistance during production of this documentary.

If you would like to receive a tax benefit by donating to our documentary film on Mexican wolves, you can do so by visiting: www.wolfcenter.org/donate and notate The Last Pack. By notating your donation to The Last Pack, we will be sure to receive it. We would like to thank the Wolf Education and Research Center for the generosity in supporting our film, and for becoming our fiscal agent. We are looking forward to working with them in accomplishing our goals in producing this film.

If you would like to watch an exclusive preview of The Last Pack: A Return to the Wild, you can do so by registering to attend Wolf Education and Research Center’s Summer Celebration on June 6th and 7th here: http://wolfcenter.org/site/summer-celebration.html Film producer Alan Lacy will be showing several clips of the film, and discussing the project in two parts. You don’t want to miss it!

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An Update

Thank you to everyone who has made this film possible so far! You are the backbone of this project and I can’t thank you enough, especially those of you who have pledged your support more than once! Every little bit helps! We have a few more locations we need to film yet, but your help has been tremendous! Thank you so much for supporting us, and for contributing to this film which will help people understand more about these wolves. It is vitally important to provide an accurate and clear understanding to help pave a future for this critically endangered species. The more people we can touch with this film, the more chances these wolves have to fully recover. We want to see Mexican wolves fully recovered throughout their traditional home ranges: from the Southwestern United States all the way down into Mexico.

At the end of April, we traveled to New Mexico and took part in a release of two wolves, a male and female. It was incredible to participate in this rare event. With only 75 wolves in the wild as of the 2012 population count, each new wolf that sees freedom increases their chances of survival as a species. The female was pregnant, and it is hoped that she has whelped a litter of pups, increasing those chances even more.

We are planning to continue filming later this year. We want to go into wolf country in Arizona and New Mexico so we can better understand these animals, and the places they inhabit. We are going to need more support, as we want to capture footage of Mexican wolves in the wild, exhibiting their natural behaviors. This will enable us to get a glimpse into the life of the “lobo,” and help us see wolves for who they truly are. During this trip, we want to explore the complexities that surround the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project, and ways we can learn to coexist with wolves. To do this we will need more help, as we are in need of a significant increase in funding. Please help us spread the word about this film. By doing so, you will help generate more awareness for the Mexican wolf and at the same time you will be helping us achieve our goal. If you are able to help us through donations, we will give you a gift in return as thanks, just look at our “how you can help” page for more info, or click here to donate.

We are excited to see this film coming together, and are looking forward to seeing this film completed! Please help us get there! In the meantime, below this update you can see some of the photo’s we took while filming the release.

 

Sincerely,

Alan Lacy, Director and Producer