Overview
- The film had its world premiere on the Great Hill in Central Park on Wednesday, July 29, as a free public screening hosted by City Council member Gale Brewer with partnerships from Sandbox Films, Rooftop Films, the Wild Bird Fund and the Central Park Conservancy.
- Director Penny Lane filmed Flaco’s year living in Manhattan after his February 2023 escape from the Central Park Zoo and says the story raises questions about urban ecology and responsibility to animals living in cities.
- Flaco died on February 23, 2024 after colliding with a Manhattan building and post-mortem tests later found high levels of rodenticide and a virus linked to pigeons, details the documentary examines as part of urban hazard evidence.
- Wild Inside opens at the IFC Center on Friday and is scheduled to play in more than 60 theaters nationwide next week to broaden the conversation beyond New York City.
- The film features local residents and birders who followed Flaco and could increase public pressure on policies such as rodenticide use and zoo enclosure security as officials and neighbors revisit how the city manages wildlife risks.