During the last week (February 6-13), saw the return of Winona’s Frozen River Film Festival.

The all documentary festival featured a wide variety of topics. Attendees had the chance to touch base on women’s rights, the exploration of the universe, or learn the story of a runner in Brooklyn. All stories gave us the chance to learn something new, however, the one that captivated me was called “The Need for Connectivity”.

Directors Max Freund & William Freund focused on a big problem that panthers in Florida have to face – humans and the destruction of the natural habitat of animals. Big roads and highways are built so that it is easier to travel, nonetheless, this is also the reason why 22 panthers are killed every year.

Therefore, it is common that they end up in hospitals, with broken limbs, or with serious damage to their bodies. There was one interesting panther, she was hit by a car twice, and she survived. Now, she has over 16 kittens and she is helping them to get used to the system of “fences all around”. People put fences around the roads so that the animals would not have the chance to go there. There are also different corridors and tunnels, nevertheless, some animals are still getting hit by cars, such as bears, crocodiles, and deer. The film does a good

The film showed that there was some progress made, but it also underlined the fact that we can not forget about this, and we need to come up with a solution that will help the panthers and the people of Florida in the long run. The sad photos of injured animals made me understand how important it is that we start doing something as soon as possible.

Many national and wildlife parks help the animal’s plight, however, they are not connected, and the danger remains strong. For this reason, the title of the movie is “The Need for Connectivity”.

A little more background or history of this subject would help the viewer. For instance… when exactly did this problem start? Were there some specific things they did in the past that helped the panthers? We will probably have to wait and see if there will be the following film that will answer our questions.

Even though not many people are professionals who can help solve this problem, the film is appropriate for all people who are interesting in this subject. Panthers are very adaptable and resilient animals, for this, we only need to give them the chance to survive, and they will succeed. There is amazing footage of the panthers and excellent commentaries from experts.

This was the main message that the producers tried to convey. Just to allow the animals to survive, they do not need anything else.  “If we just give the panthers a chance, they will make it happen,” an wildlife expert says in the film.

I learned a lot from this film, I didn’t even know that there was a problem like this. Now, I realize that something needs to be done and I think I will try to do some more research about this subject.