*All donations are tax-deductible!*

Known as the Amazon of Europe, Romania contains 70% of Europe’s last primary forests. Starting in 1947, Romania’s communist period preserved much of the country’s forests, while global demand for wood destroyed old-growth forests worldwide. After communism fell in 1989 and Romania joined the EU, the country’s forests opened for business. Now, IKEA is the largest private landowner in Romania. Nearly two-thirds of Romania’s ancient forests have been logged in the last decade.

‘Wild East’ tells the story of this conflict and the history that led to it through the eyes of Gabi Paun, an environmental activist in Romania who risks his life to expose the timber mafia and IKEA’s destruction. Over the course of the film, Paun and his team investigate IKEA and find evidence proving IKEA has processed illegally logged timber from Romania’s National Forests and EU-protected biodiversity sites. 

IKEA’s timber supply has been linked to contractors known as the timber mafia - they have reportedly killed six forest guards and are responsible for over 650 other attacks. Paun is risking his life to take a stand; he has been targeted for his efforts. After surviving several assassination attempts, he now lives in hiding abroad and investigates undercover.

Gabi has rebelled against injustice from a young age. As a teenager under the communist regime, he’d throw tomatoes at the dictator’s motorcade as it passed his apartment. He’d secretly listen to forbidden music like Depeche Mode - the band that taught his generation to stand up and disobey. As for many Romanians, nature was the only place Paun felt free. 

IKEA prides itself on being people and planet-positive. But the convenience of ready-to-build cheap furniture comes at a cost, and their appetite for forests expands across the world unabated. Amid an intensifying climate crisis, healthy forests are a vital last line of defense against rising carbon emissions and the rapid decline of biodiversity. This film pulls back the veil on fast furniture; audiences will be inspired by Paun’s determination to take action and protect the global forest ecosystems we all depend on.

WHY I'M TELLING THIS STORY

I am personally connected to this story as a consumer of IKEA products; they have a good reputation, and are affordable. But I didn’t know the truth about IKEA until I learned of the destruction they were causing in my friend’s homeland. I met producer Audrey Popa in my Ph.D. graduate program, where my research has focused on corporate abuse and deforestation in Canada. When Audrey told me about the environmental crisis unfolding in Romania, where her family is from, I felt a responsibility to make this film together. It is my goal as director to see this film spark tangible change. This is a critical, untold story, and we believe it has the power to have a big impact on audiences across the globe.

OUR TEAM

Maia Wikler (Director) Ph.D., is a National Geographic Explorer, writer, political ecologist, and filmmaker. Her reporting appears in Atmos, Canada’s National Observer, Teen Vogue, VICE, Vogue, and High Country News, among many others. Maia’s directorial debut, Walking Two Worlds, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2022.

Cecilia Brown (Producer/Editor) is a documentary director, producer and editor based in Portland, OR. Her credits include Strong Grandma (2024) and Walking Two Worlds (2023), and her work has been published by HBO, The New Yorker, This American Life, The San Francisco MOMA, and been supported by the Catapult Film Fund. Cecilia has a Master's in Multimedia Journalism, and is co-owner of Sideyard Studios.

Audrey Popa (Producer) is a Romanian-Canadian producer, National Geographic Explorer, and political ecology researcher, based in Toronto, Canada. She recently completed her Master’s at the University of Victoria, supported by several scholarships, fellowships, and awards. Popa has presented her research in academic and industry settings, most recently at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Winslow Crane-Murdoch (Director of Photography) A director and cinematographer, Winslow’s credits include the award-winning films Oh Whale, Strong Grandma, and The Quiet Epidemic. His work has appeared on HBO, TIME magazine, Outside TV, the San Francisco MOMA, and has been supported by the Catapult Film Fund.

FILMING STATUS & FUNDING

We are so very close to the finish line and need your help to get us there! 

We really want this film to have an impact - to be seen by as many people as possible across the world. More importantly, we can’t share this film with the world until it’s done! We are finished with editing, but we need help covering the cost of color grading, graphics, legal fees, music licensing, insurance, film festival submissions, and all the final odds and ends that ensure this film is A-OK to share with audiences around the world. 

It would be such a shame to get to this point and not be able to show this wonderful film to you all, so please give what you can to help us reach our goal!

Thanks to Woodstock Film Festival as our fiscal sponsor - all donations to this film are tax deductible!