'Wild Innsbruck' opens Innsbruck nature film festival in Manila
The Austrian Embassy in Manila, in partnership with SM and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, launched the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival on December 1, 2025, at SM Mall of Asia Cinema 1.
The festival began with “Wild Innsbruck” (Austria, 2019), a 45-minute documentary directed by Patrick Centurioni. Filmed in English, the documentary offers a striking portrait of Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, where untamed alpine wilderness meets the pulse of urban life.
Nestled within Austria’s largest nature reserve, the Karwendel Nature Park, Innsbruck is a rare city where modernity and wilderness coexist in proximity. The film explores this delicate balance, tracing encounters between humans and wildlife shaped by tourism, urban expansion, and climate change.
Viewers are introduced to resilient alpine species such as chamois, ibex, stoats, and ptarmigans—each adapting in unique ways to shifting environments. From stoats using man-made snow corridors for camouflage to amphibians thriving in artificial reservoirs, “Wild Innsbruck” reveals surprising stories of coexistence and adaptation.
More than a documentary, “Wild Innsbruck” is a cinematic journey into the fragile yet inspiring relationship between civilization and wilderness. It challenges audiences to rethink the boundaries between human and wild, offering moments of resilience and coexistence that redefine how we see nature in the modern world.
The special screening of “Wild Innsbruck” was followed by a panel discussion. This session offered audiences a deeper opportunity to engage with the film’s themes and explore the dialogue between conservation, urban life, and cultural perspectives.
The screening marks the beginning of a festival dedicated to showcasing films that highlight the beauty, challenges, and importance of protecting our natural environment.