$50,000 donation boosts coffers of IWFF

The International Wildlife Media Center in Missoula will receive a gift of $50,000 from the family of media mogul Ted Turner, according to Janet Rose, executive director of the center and the International Wildlife Film Festival.

By DARYL GADBOW of the Missoulian

http://missoulian.com/articles/2004/07/17/news/local/news06.txt

The donation, which will be spread out over the next five years, brings the nonprofit organization close to its fund-raising campaign goal of purchasing Missoula’s Roxy Theater as the media center and film festival headquarters, Rose said.

Rhett Turner, the son of Ted Turner and a trustee of the Turner Foundation, made the $50,000 contribution to sponsor one of the Roxy’s three movie theaters, she said. Rhett Turner is an award-winning filmmaker, who has produced numerous wildlife films, including several that he entered in the annual IWFF, according to Rose.

"Over the past three years," she said, Rhett Turner "has gotten to know the organization. This year, he attended the festival in person, met many of the festival delegates and saw our programs and our mission in action. He participated in many events of the festival and was apparently moved to sponsor one of the theaters."

In addition to helping the IWFF’s "Save the Roxy" campaign, Rose said, Turner’s gift will establish a scholarship program for young filmmakers. The scholarship will provide funds for one student filmmaker, age 10 to 18, to attend the IWFF Media Center’s weeklong summer filmmaking seminar. Another scholarship in Turner’s name will allow another young filmmaker from anywhere in the world to attend the festival as a full delegate.

To be considered for a scholarship, a student must show financial need, and submit an essay, Rose said. The essay should describe why they would like to attend the festival or the workshop and how it will impact their lives and improve their understanding of wildlife and nature.

Turner’s donation brings the balance of funds needed to complete the purchase and renovation of the Roxy to $80,000. The goal of the campaign, launched two years ago, was $400,000.

Part of the campaign offered sponsorship of the Roxy’s three movie theaters for $50,000 each. The first theater, called the Blackfoot River Theater, is sponsored by the Engelhard Foundation. The Turner Foundation is sponsoring the Missouri River Theater. The third, the Yellowstone River Theater, is still available for sponsorship, Rose said. Theater sponsors are allowed to spread their donation out over several years, as Turner did, she added.

For more information about the campaign to Save the Roxy, or the International Wildlife Media Center, call the organization at 728-9380, or visit its Web site at http://www.wildlifefilms.org.

Reporter Daryl Gadbow can be reached at 523-5264 or at [email protected].