WONDERS OF THE WOLF Documentary Screening

This week at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

WONDERS OF THE WOLF a film by Angie Ruiz is an outstanding award-winning documentary exploring one of the most successful conservation efforts in modern history, The Yellowstone Wolf Project. The short documentary will screen at Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday, February 11 at 8:40 pm at SBIFF Film Center & Friday, February 13 at 2:40 pm at SBIFF Film Center 916. For tickets and passes go to sbiff.org.

From their historic recovery in 1995 to today’s thriving wolf packs, Yellowstone Wolf Project biologists share inspiring stories about the wolves they study in the park. Using bioacoustic technology, researchers are uncovering how wolves communicate, applying their findings to resolve livestock-wildlife conflicts and protect these majestic creatures.

WONDERS OF THE WOLF was filmed in Yellowstone National Park primarily in the Lamar Valley. It features the Park’s famed wolf Matriarch, 907F. She lived to be 11 years old and died on Christmas Day 2025. She was the oldest wolf in Yellowstone National Park before her death. The film also features the longest running wolf pack called Mollies Pack — named after Mollie Beatty who was the first female director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Wolves never give up. It doesn’t matter how hungry the are, how hurt they are, what the odds are against them, they keep going till the end.” Dr. Douglas W. Smith, Retired Senior Wolf Biologist, Yellowstone National Park

Wolves featured in the film are also making news right now, as a female wolf from the famed Yellowstone Junction Butte Pack was illegally poached just outside the border of Yellowstone National Park. The area, known as management area 313 in Jardine, had a three wolf quota during hunting season. This quote was met in November. This wolf was poached in December illegally. Her radio collar was cut off and thrown into a tree. Her body was not found. There is a growing reward, now 65k, to find the criminal who poached this wolf, with this story being covered by all major new organizations.

The film was directed by Angie Ruiz, produced by Ruiz and Aaron Weber, with cinematography by Warren Kommers. Timothy Stuart Jones provides original music for this beautiful film. WONDERS OF THE WOLF has a running time of 31 minutes. It has screened at numerous film festivals and won many awards including Best Central Coast Documentary Short – San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, Best Short Film – NatureTrack Film Festival,Best Documentary – Central Coast International Film Festival, Best Director Documentary – Idyllwild International Festival Of Cinema, and Best Documentary – Idyllwild International Festival Of Cinema.