PATH OF THE PANTHER

Drawn in by the haunting specter of the Florida panther, photojournalist Carlton Ward Jr. unites biologists, ranchers, conservationists, and Indigenous peoples on the front lines of an accelerating battle between forces of renewal and destruction in Florida's Everglades. In a struggle resonating across the globe, the panther and its guardians embody the heroic work of protecting a world pushed to the brink of ecological collapse.

Surviving on the precipice of extinction, the panther is a defiant emblem of our once connected world. Its habitat has become an island. Its lush territory transformed into subdivisions. A paradise - vanishing into thin air. Yet the wild lives on. Hope remains. Because, ultimately, we all share the same fate: a connected planet or a divided one. The choice is ours.

This odyssey of hope and heartbreak is the culmination of more than five years of field research, half-a-million still images, and over 800 hours of ultra high definition camera trap footage. Against all odds, wild panthers have been stunningly captured in their native ecosystem, as they've never been filmed before.

These wide-ranging apex predators, one of the most elusive and endangered wild cats in the world, are also the inspiration for a visionary idea: a wildlife corridor. It's the beginning of a wild 'path' that could one day stretch into every corner of the American continent.

What began as a moonshot photo and film mission is evolving into a 'Path of the Panther' movement. This groundbreaking collaboration with National Geographic Society and other partners inspired the passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act - the first legislation of its kind and a blueprint for addressing habitat fragmentation and species extinction across the globe.

Today, the movement continues to grow. The world stands at a crossroads - and the panther is showing the way.

WINNER | AUDIENCE AWARD - BEST FEATURE | FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER | GOLDEN CONCH - BEST FEATURE | KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER | BEST ECOSYSTEM | JACKSON WILD MEDIA AWARDS

WINNER | IMPACT | WILDSCREEN PANDA AWARDS

WINNER | PRODUCTION TEAM | WILDSCREEN PANDA AWARDS

WINNER | AUDIENCE AWARD - ACTIVE CINEMA | MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER | AUDIENCE AWARD - BEST DOCUMENTARY | NAPLES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER | BEST CONSERVATION FILM | NEW YORK WILD

WINNER | BEST DOCUMENTARY | OMAHA FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER | JURY AWARD | ACADEMIA FILM OLOMOUC

WINNER | AUDIENCE AWARD | WILDLIFE FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM

Eric Bendick, Director
Carlton Ward Jr., Producer
Thomas Winston, Producer
Tori Linder, Producer