Embankment Launches Doc ‘Born Wild’ By ‘The Truffle Hunters’ Producers

EXCLUSIVE: Embankment has launched global sales on director Adam McClelland’s feature documentary Born Wild, about mankind’s connection with animals.

Born Wild charts the relationship between two intertwined communities who inhabit North Carolina’s storm-beaten and beautiful Outer Banks coastline: its human population, and its tribes of wild mustang horses. Descendants of the first colonies, the horses have survived for centuries. But now threatened with extinction, the two dwindling groups of survivors must learn from and support each other if they are to last in this delicately balanced environment between land and sea, already fast disappearing as the effects of climate change take hold.

Embankment will show first footage of the film – currently in production – to buyers ahead of the virtual EFM.

Debut director Adam McClelland spent much of the past two years embedded in the tight-knit community of The Outer Banks documenting residents, conservationists, and climate change experts alike, and getting to know the varied tribes of horses. He is shortly to return to these communities to chart how their symbiotic lives continue to rapidly transform in the face of climate change.

“Growing up in North Carolina I was always interested in its barrier islands. Born Wild explores the shifting boundaries of our land, our relationship to nature, the animal instinct to adapt, and the limits of humans to respond to the rising seas. I could not be more excited to be telling this story with this team”, stated director McClelland.

McClelland premiered his most recent project, Keepers of The Wild, at Tribeca Film Festival in 2019.

The film is produced by Bow and Arrow Entertainment, in association with Shield Pirate and Diorama. Bow and Arrow have a strong track record of premiering their films at top tier festivals, including 15 Sundance premieres in the past six years. These include The Truffle Hunters (sold to Sony Pictures Classics), The Fight (Magnolia/Hulu), Disclosure (Netflix) and Native Son (HBO). They recently premiered Stockholm Syndrome featuring A$AP Rocky at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival in advance of its 2022 worldwide release.

Producer Matthew Perniciaro remarked: “Adam has created a beautiful film, an inspiring tale that we cannot wait to share with audiences around the globe. We feel honored to be working with Embankment on the project.”

The film is in the final stages of production and will be available for delivery in Q4, 2022.