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WASILLA — Skaters, boarders and skiers don’t necessarily have the best public image. Often portrayed in the media as slackers, vandals or druggies, young adults who choose these sports can face negative stereotypes, both at home and in public.

Anchorage filmmaker Matt Wild wants to change that.

“That’s what my whole movie is about,” Wild said last week during an interview at the Frontiersman.

Wild, 23, recently finished production on “Connected,” his fifth skateboard/ski/snowboard movie. The film, which features a cast of all-Alaska athletes and includes scenes shot throughout Southcentral, will premier Nov. 10 at UAA’s Wendy Williamson Auditorium in Anchorage.

Wild said that the prevailing culture within the sports tends to run toward parties and slacking off. But part of his mission as a filmmaker is to show people that you don’t have to get into trouble to have fun and find success in the world of “extreme” sports.

“If you want to do all that, cool, but you don’t have to display it for kids,” he said.

Wild said he and many others involved in extreme sports have begun making an effort in recent years to educate youngsters new to these sports that there are alternatives to the party life.

For example, Wild said, the idea that all snowboarders are on drugs is simply not true. In fact, he said, many promising careers in the sport have been derailed because of bad choices early in their career.

“You’ll see a kid and be like, ‘he could be great, if he just stays away from that,’” Wild said.

Wild also wants to show parents that, just because their child is into skating, boarding or skiing, it doesn’t mean he or she will turn into a punk. In fact, often times the sports can lead youngsters toward success and away from trouble.

“Instead of going out doing drugs and vandalizing things, they’re out there filming,” he said.

Wild should know.

Over the past year, he’s traveled high and low to gather images for the new movie, which features some of the best extreme athletes Alaska has to offer. Filmed “everywhere,” Wild said many of the locations in the film will be instantly recognizable.

“It’s from here to Fairbanks, Homer, Anchorage, Palmer — everywhere,” he said.

While some of the filming locations are familiar — downtown Anchorage or Alyeska, for example — many are places that have never been featured in any such film.

“We just tried to go to places people have never seen before,” Wild

said.

That includes scenes ranging from deep backcountry alpine terrain to the rugged Katchemak Bay coastline of Homer.

The fifth feature-length film he’s produced, Wild said be believes his latest offering is leaps and bounds ahead of what he’s done in the past.

“It’s by far my best one,” he said.

A preview of the film posted on YouTube gives a good idea of what moviegoers can expect. The trailer features a soundtrack of hip-hop music played over the top of scenes ranging from riders taking massive drops off pristine cliff faces to skaters bumping down stairs in the middle of a city. The video even features scenes from last year’s “Shredfest,” an annual show put on by skiers and boarders at Wasilla Middle School to promote literacy and healthy lifestyle choices.

Every athlete featured in the movie is from Alaska, and with the all-Alaska landscapes, the film should help inspire newcomers to the sport looking for some local heroes.

“People will recognize it,” Wild said.

Tickets for the film premier party, which begins at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium, can be purchased for $8 in advance at Northern Boardshop in the 5th Avenue Mall in Anchorage or for $10 at the door.

Wild said the premier will also feature a raffle for prizes including two brand new snowboards.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com