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HSDFF Announces Acclaimed filmmaker Penny Lane’s Wild Inside as Opening Night Film

    • The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (October 9-17) announced acclaimed filmmaker Penny Lane’s Wild Inside will open the highly anticipated 35th edition of the film festival on Friday, October 9 at the Oaklawn Events Center in Hot Springs. Film participants and wildlife photographers Jacqueline Emery and David Lei will be on hand to discuss the story of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped an enclosure in the Central Park Zoo and became a New York celebrity. The film’s gala screening will be the centerpiece of the festival’s new partnership with the upcoming Birding Festival of the South.

    The Birding Festival of the South, sponsored by Oaklawn and held at the Hot Springs Convention Center, is a celebration of the fall bird migration. The festival hosts guided experiences, hands-on workshops, live music, and family-friendly activities designed for new and experienced birders alike.

    “HSDFF is delighted to share Wild Inside as the Opening Night film of our 35th Annual Festival,” says Ken Jacobson, Executive Director of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute. “Penny Lane’s remarkable film about Flaco the owl is the year’s soaring documentary achievement: a deeply moving, gorgeous, and thought-provoking story that makes us rethink the fragile relationship between humans and the animals that live among us. It’s the perfect event to kick off our partnership with The Birding Festival of the South.”

    Wild Inside, Penny Lane’s enthralling real-life fairy tale, tells the story of Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped from a hole cut in his enclosure in NYC’s Central Park Zoo in 2023 and eventually became one of the city’s most beloved inhabitants. Initially, it was feared Flaco couldn’t survive due to not having learned to fly or hunt while in captivity. However, he soon surprised the experts as a quick study with his survival skills, and became one of the city’s favorite sons. The public tracked his every movement across the borough of Manhattan and “adopted” him as one of their own.

    Combined ticketing packages are available now, offering bird lovers access to Wild Inside and other HSDFF bird-centric programming. These events include a live owl eagle appearance at The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa presented by the Little Rock Zoo, a work-in-progress screening of a new documentary about Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear Valley’s most famous bald eagles, and a special bird-related Secret Screening. The programming complements the field trips, panels, and birding activities that will make the Birding Festival of the South an exceptional avian experience.

    Special Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Ticket / Birding Festival of the South Ticket Packages and Passes

    Note: Prices are in addition to the $35 Birding Festival pass, which must be purchased to be eligible for these special prices.

    • Opening Night Movie Only: $20
      • Includes opening night movie ticket.
    • Opening Night Movie + Party: $55
      • Includes tickets to opening night movie and Gala party.
    • HSDFF Birds in Film Pass + Opening Night Movie + Party: $80
      • Includes Opening Night movie ticket and Gala party, a live owl and eagle appearance at The Arlington Resort Hotel, & Spa, ticket to a work-in-progress screening of the new documentary Jackie and Shadow about the famous bald eagles of Big Bear Lake, ticket to a bird-related Secret Screening, and access to the Arlington VIP Lounge on Saturday.
    • HSDFF Birds in Film Pass + Opening Night Movie: $45
      • Includes Opening Night movie ticket, a live owl and eagle appearance at The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, ticket to work-in-progress screening of Jackie and Shadow ticket to Secret Screening, and access to the Arlington VIP Lounge on Saturday. Does not include Gala party.

    The Birding Festival Pass includes:

    Official festival laminate, tote bag, metal tumbler, and Birding Festival of the South Field Guide
    Access to vendor hall, workshop, panels, keynote speakers, and kids’ activities
    “Meet you there” field trips – registration required (capacities may vary) This does not include exclusive field trips.

    More information is available by visiting hotsprings.org/events/birding-festival-of-the-south.

    Announcements regarding the festival’s lineup, honorees, and guests for the 35th edition of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, presented by Oaklawn, will follow in the coming weeks.

    ABOUT HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

    Each year, with the help of a small staff and over 100 dedicated volunteers, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival presented by Oaklawn attracts thousands of visitors to this extraordinary 9-day event in scenic Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. Now in its 35th year as the longest-running documentary film festival in North America, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival remains a prominent champion of documentary film. The 2026 edition of the festival takes place on October 9 – 17. For more information on HSDFF, visit: hsdfi.org

    ABOUT THE BIRDING FESTIVAL OF THE SOUTH

    Taking flight October 8-10, 2026, this inaugural festival will include field trips, live music, keynote speakers, workshops, panels, kids’ activities, arts and crafts, vendors, and more! Located in Hot Springs National Park, the area boasts unmatched birdwatching opportunities among acres of forest, trails, and natural beauty.

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    Annalee Drain

    FESTIVAL PRODUCER

    Annalee Drain is the Festival Producer of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, stepping into the role this year after three years with the festival in other departments.

    She holds a BFA in Digital Filmmaking from the University of Central Arkansas. Annalee also serves as Programming Manager for the Persistence of Vision Film Festival, a role she has held for three years.

    Based in Northwest Arkansas, she works full time as a freelance Camera Assistant on feature films and television, and recently made her debut as Director of Photography on the documentary feature Dirty Girl (Post-Production).

    Deb Fuller

    OFFICE MANAGER / MARKETING ASSISTANT / FILMMAKER FORUM CO-PRODUCER

    Deb Fuller is a native Houstonian who has called Arkansas home for more than seven years. She has immersed herself in the Inception to Projection filmmaking program in Hot Springs over the past five years.

    She has written and directed two short narratives, two documentary shorts, and participated in the production of numerous other projects. Her filmmaking centers on meaningful storytelling, often highlighting people, histories, and issues that deserve greater visibility.

    This creative work deepens her connection to the community and amplifies voices that might otherwise go unheard.

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    Erin Williams-Weir

    SENIOR PROGRAMMER

    Erin Williams-Weir is a festival programmer, producer, and award-winning filmmaker from Canada. She programs documentary features for the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival and has worked across international sales, acquisitions, and documentary production.

    Her debut documentary, NEVER GET BUSTED!, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive multiple awards on the festival circuit, including the PBS Human Spirit Award.

    Sean Volk

    SENIOR PROGRAMMER

    Sean Volk is a film programmer and arts advocate based in Fargo, ND. He is a Senior Programmer at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

    Additionally, Sean serves as a Lead Programmer at Mountainfilm and he is the Narrative Feature Programmer at the Woods Hole Film Festival. He has previously programmed for the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and the Nashville Film Festival.

    Sean received his MA in Film Studies from Western University in London, Ontario in 2015; his scholarship explored representations of monstrosity in the films of Guillermo del Toro.

    Colleen Thurston

    SENIOR PROGRAMMER

    Colleen Thurston is a documentary filmmaker and curator from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    With two decades experience in the festival world, Colleen has worked for festivals nationwide and specializes in non-fiction and Indigenous storytelling.

    In addition to her work with HSDFF, she is the Project Producer for Native Lens, and a programmer for MountainFilm and the Tacoma Film Festival. Her first feature documentary Drowned Land screened at Hot Springs 2025, and is broadcasting on PBS in 2026.

    Kyle Therral Wilson

    COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

    Kyle Therral Wilson is an Arkansas-native, Los Angeles-based consultant specializing in copywriting, digital marketing, publicity, and creative writing.

    He has extensive experience in the publishing industry, most notably at Disney Publishing Worldwide, where he built email marketing campaigns and wrote interactive scripts for classic Disney characters.

    Kyle also writes and produces for stage and screen; his short film SFH was an official selection at the 2024 Cinema Diverse Film Festival in Palm Springs, California.

    Annie Gerber

    PROGRAMMING MANAGER

    Oversees daily operations and logistics including venue management, sponsor communications, transportation and housing.

    Annie Gerber is a native Arkansan who has a Bachelor of Fine arts in music from Ouachita Baptist University but later switched her main focus to film and photography. Annie spent several years working as a Teaching Assistant at the prestigious photography program at the School of Cinematic and Performing Arts in both New York and Los Angeles. For the past 5 years she has maintained her position as the Director of Operations for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

    Ken Jacobson

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Ken oversees all aspects of the festival including fundraising and sponsor relations, program development, management of staff and volunteers, budgeting, and producing the festival each fall.

    Ken Jacobson was most recently Senior Programmer, Documentary Films at the Sonoma International Film Festival. He has served as Documentary Film Programmer at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (since 2017) and at the DocLands Documentary Film Festival (since 2019). He is also co-creator/co-host (with Michael Merrill) of the podcast “Top-Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers” with presenting sponsor Netflix.

    Previously, Jacobson was a senior member of the programming team at the American Film Institute (2018-2021) and Director of Educational Programs and Strategic Partnerships at the International Documentary Association (2013 – 2016). From 2008- 2013, he was Documentary Programmer and Programming/Education Outreach Coordinator at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He has served on numerous festival juries and as a grant reviewer for the NEA, NEH, Sundance Institute, and IDA Enterprise Fund.