 Wildlife Film News
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Award-winning wildlife film-maker Victoria Stone dies aged 66 Victoria Stone - In Memoriam - 1958-2024 We are very sad to share the news that Victoria Stone died on Sunday 17th November 2024. The beautiful tribute below is from her partner in life and work, Mark Deeble, shared on their Deeble & Stone Facebook Page: "Dear friends, Vicky died yesterday. I can’t begin to condense a lifetime of love and shared experiences into just a few sentences. For almost 45 years, we were inseparable - together almost every hour of every day, every week, every month… We traveled far and soared high because we were a team. Vicky was determined, fair, and forthright, and beneath it, deeply creative. She made things happen. Never one to seek the limelight, she let her work, our films, speak for themselves. Two years ago, Vicky was diagnosed with advanced cancer. Yesterday, she died peacefully at home, looking out over the cliffs and the ocean she so loved. She was surrounded by love - family and friends she had brought together, relationships she had nurtured. Her life was one of giving out to others and giving back to the world. I loved her so much and I can’t believe she has gone." We send him and all of Vicky's family and many friends our sincerest and deepest condolences, with love. Visit: deeblestone.com/biography "Victoria Stone and her partner Mark Deeble have worked together in Africa for over 30 years, telling wildlife stories that have been shown in more than 140 countries with audiences in excess of 600 million. "The Queen of Trees" was called 'a masterpiece' by Sir David Attenborough. Amongst its many awards are a Peabody and United Nations Award. Emmy®-winning "Mzima" joins a long filmography which includes "A Little Fish in Deep Water", "Tale of the Tides", "The Tides of Kirawira", and "Here Be Dragons". Their films have won over 100 international awards in recognition of their artistry and wildlife storytelling. At the prestigious 2020 Jackson Wild Media Awards, "The Elephant Queen" won four awards, including Best Feature. Victoria has an MA from the Royal College of Art and her work has included cinematography, producing, directing and editing." imdb.com/name/nm1564649/bio Vicky and Mark's A Little Fish in Deep Water won Wildscreen's Golden Panda Award in 1996 and they were the recipients of last years' Jackson Wild Legacy Award... See: Wildlife-film.com/features/Jackson-Wild-Announces-2023-Legacy-and-Rising-Star-Awards.html A great legacy: The Elephant Queen: How a wildlife documentary inspired rural Kenya – Powerful, award-winning nature films like ‘The Elephant Queen’ have the potential to reshape attitudes and garner support for elephants in rural communities, according to a new study.
New study shows film can transform attitudes towards elephants. Powerful, award-winning nature films like ‘The Elephant Queen’, ??made by filmmakers Mark Deeble, Victoria Stone and Etienne Oliff, have the potential to reshape attitudes and garner support for elephants in rural communities, according to a new study. The findings are crucial at a time when Kenya and other parts of Africa are grappling with escalating human-elephant conflict (HEC). Read: savetheelephants.org/news/the-elephant-queen-how-a-wildlife-documentary-inspired-rural-kenya RIP Vicky |
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Watch: The Queen of Trees by Deeble & Stone One of the most amazing stories in the natural world -- a tale of intrigue and drama, set against grand Africa and its wildlife. The fig tree and fig wasp differ in size a billion times over, but neither could exist without the other. Their extraordinary relationship underpins a complex web of dependency that supports animals from ants to elephants. Each fig is a microcosm -- a stage set for birth, sex and death. One of the most amazing stories in the natural world -- a tale of intrigue and drama, set against grand Africa and its wildlife. "Truly, a masterpiece" - David Attenborough |
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The Ankara International Wildlife Documentary Film Festival CALL FOR ENTRY is Open for Entries until December 16th! Turkey's capital Ankara will host a brand-new festival in 2025. The 1st Ankara International Wildlife Documentary Film Festival, will take place from the 15-18th of May, 2025. Entries opened on the 1st of July and will close on the 16th of December 2024. The festival is organised to draw national and international attention to Anatolia's wildlife, contribute to nature conservation efforts and support the development of wildlife documentary filmmaking. It is aimed to bring together wildlife documentaries and teams from many countries of the world with both the audience and professional or amateur wildlife documentarians, to follow the innovations in the world, to be a pioneer in some areas and to be instrumental in collaborations and co-productions. The festival, which will include four days of documentary film screenings, Q&As with film crews, workshops and seminars, will also have a competition section where wildlife documentaries from all over the world will be evaluated in short and feature categories. Founded by director and producer Ece Soydam, who has been producing wildlife documentaries at TRT for nearly twenty years, the festival is organised in partnership with Çigdem Education, Environment and Solidarity Association and Nature Conservation Center, with the support of United Nations GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), European Union Sivil Düs¸ün Programme and Ayten & Aycan. The search for resources continues in order to make the organization, to which various embassies will also contribute, more comprehensive. Submissions for the festival competition will be open until December 16th, 2024 through filmfreeway.com. Inviting all wildlife documentary filmmakers from Türkiye and across the globe to apply to the festival, the festival team continues to work to present a full program for the 1st Ankara International Wildlife Documentary Film Festival on May 15 – 18th, 2025. FESTIVAL PROGRAM
CATEGORIES
AWARDS
Enter here: filmfreeway.com/AnkaraUluslararasiYabanHayatiBelgeselFilmFestivali I'm going to be a member of the jury for the Short Documentary Category! JP On the 13th of November, I (Jason Peters!) was announced as a member on the Short Doc category at AWFF 2025. The announcement read: "Jason Peters, who is responsible for managing wildlife-film.com, the platform uniting wildlife documentary filmmakers globally, has joined our festival jury for the Short Documentary category! Thank you, Jason!" I am very happy to be involved, and so looking forward to hearding to Ankara next May! Follow for more info on the festival, including other jury members: instagram.com/ank_yabanwildff, x.com/Ank_YabanWildFF & facebook.com/Ankyabanwildff |
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Watch Brock Initiative Wildlife Winners & Losers films on Turkey! Richard Brock has spent a considerable amount of time making films in Turkey. In 2017 he released a quintuple of WW&L films about Turkey under the banner "Turkey's Treasures" ... "With a local guide Zafer we reveal rare monk seals, fishing conservation and local life." Watch the promo below and if you would like to see more of this story please follow the links to watch the films 1-5: Turkey's Treasures - Film 1 - Fishing for the Future All included in this YouTube playlist. Also watch The Storks of Dalyan in two parts: When they're not delivering babies, what do white storks get up to? Seen through their eyes in fascinating Southwest Turkey we join the birds as they rear their own babies. Visit the website for more: brockinitiative.org/category/country/turkey |
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Winners of the 10th Anniversary Edition of WFFR Announced! The 10th Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam (WFFR) took place from 4–10 November 2024. The Flamingo Awards were held on the evening of Saturday the 9th of November in the iconic Arminius Church for the second time. WFFR annually recognises outstanding achievements in eleven different categories.
All winners were announced during the Flamingo Award Ceremony. After a careful selection, the jury members - Bero Beyer, Arjan Dwarshuis, Aniek Moonen and Cees van Kempen - have come to a decision... The winners of the Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam 2024 are:
Visit: wffr.nl/festival-en Watch Wildlife Films from your Couch with WFFR Online Until December 5, 2024, you can watch almost all films* from this edition online for a month! You can buy a single ticket per film (€5) or a passe-partout for all films (€25). How does it work? After purchasing a single ticket, you can watch the film for 48 hours, with a passe-partout you can watch all films unlimited until December 5, regardless of the purchase date. Here you can find the complete online program and you can buy individual films and passe-partouts: wffr.filmchief.com/hub *Only 'De Wilde Noordzee' cannot be viewed online. All other films from the physical festival can also be viewed online. |
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Missed the Wildscreen Festival 2024? Missed out on Wildscreen this year? You can now purchase a Post-Festival Online Pass for as little as £15 (for WildPhotos)! Brush up on your cinematography knowledge, delve into the world of digital content creation, find out how to fund your film and more at the touch of a button from now until January 31st 2025. Our Online Pass gives you post-festival access to our delegate app, allowing you to catch up and watch back live streams of dozens of sessions from this year’s festival including Headliners, Masterclasses, Decision Maker Clinics and more! PLUS access our full film library of this year’s Official Selection and Panda Award Nominees. That’s over 60 natural history films and episodes at your fingertips!
Buy your pass here: registration.crowdcomms.com/wildscreenfestival |
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Cary Grant Comes Home For The Weekend Festival Panel Discussion: Animal Magic! Join us for an engaging conversation chaired by BBC Free Thinking’s Matthew Sweet. This illustrated panel will explore the world of animals in cinema, spotlighting Cary Grant’s work with animals in films like Monkey Business, Bringing Up Baby, and The Awful Truth. Experts Michael Lawrence from the University of Sussex and VFX Supervisor Theo Jones from Framestore will discuss the evolution of VFX in depicting animals on screen, from early practical effects to today’s sophisticated CGI. We’ll explore how modern techniques would handle classic scenes, showcasing Framestore’s recent creature work alongside early VFX solutions. This event will also address the outdated practices and ethical considerations of using real animals in films, reflecting on how digital technologies are reshaping our relationship with them. This event follows a screening of I’m No Angel, where Mae West stars as a lion tamer, and leads into our showings of Monkey Business, featuring a chimpanzee, and Bringing Up Baby, with leopards Nissa and Princess. We’ll spotlight leopard trainer and stuntwoman Olga Celeste, and delve into the visual effects of Bringing Up Baby, including Cary Grant’s fear of the leopard and Katharine Hepburn’s contrasting fearlessness. Additionally, we’ll discuss Asta the dog’s roles in both Bringing Up Baby and The Awful Truth. This event is perfect for film and VFX enthusiasts, offering insights into the evolution of animal representation in cinema and the ethical implications of these practices. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from industry experts and experience a blend of classic and contemporary filmmaking techniques! Panel Discussion: Animal Magic! More info and tickets (£8.50 / £5 Concessions, plus 10% booking fee) here: carycomeshome.co.uk/events/2024-festival/panel-animal-magic |
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A gift for you from the Arctic ... and Greenpeace Greenpeace been in the Arctic - a beautiful, fragile ocean on the top of the world that is home to incredible animals like blue whales, polar bears and cold-water corals. And to say thank you for being a valued oceans defender, we brought back something just for you: a special live performance from Grammy award-winning musician Jacob Collier and Norwegian star AURORA. The Arctic provided a magical setting for a unique musical experience. But that isn’t the only reason Jacob and AURORA joined us there. They were also helping us highlight the impacts destructive human activity is having on this site of astounding natural beauty. With the ice melting and the oceans warming, sea life is struggling and the oceans’ ability to fight the climate crisis - through things like carbon storage and heat absorption - is being damaged. At the same time, Norway has become the first country to open up the Arctic to deep sea mining, putting unique ecosystems in this special place at risk. To defend the Arctic and our oceans as a whole, Greenpeace is campaigning to stop the deep sea mining industry before it starts, and calling for governments to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
In September 2023, Greenpeace International published 30×30: From Global Ocean Treaty to Protection at Sea setting out the political process to deliver protection for the global oceans. The report explores how cumulative pressures on the high seas are increasing, and quantifies for the first time the growing fishing activity in areas earmarked for protection, using data from Global Fishing Watch.
Our global oceans and all life on Earth hang in the balance. Add your name to call on leaders to create new ocean sanctuaries and protect our blue planet. Sign the petition to protect our oceans here: greenpeace.org/international/act/ocean-sanctuaries |
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Hamza Yassin calls for programmes to embrace nature Presenter and cameraman says soaps should show characters ‘enjoying the natural world’ Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin has called for TV programmes to place more emphasis on showing people enjoying nature. The Hidden Wild Isles presenter was speaking at the BBC Climate Creative Conference this morning when he urged programme makers of all genres to consider how they encourage people to care more about the environment. “When we think about what people are sitting down to watch, let’s talk about how we can incorporate nature into that as well,” he said. He pointed to the “doom and gloom” nature of news and suggested a return to the “Trevor McDonald days” - with a two- minute “joyful” news story at the end of the programme which could be a positive piece about nature. “With the soaps, let’s see actors going out and being inspired in nature, rather than always focusing on who slept with who and who is arguing with who. Let’s see them enjoying the natural world and doing something useful to mother nature because representation is a massive thing in modern day TV,” he added. “I want to reach the Strictly fans, the Emmerdale fans, the people who won’t turn on the Discovery channel. Let’s speak to the people who don’t know.” More here: broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/hamza-yassin-calls-for-programmes-to-embrace-nature/5197731.article |
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Chris Packham slams ‘woeful’ climate change news coverage Presenter Chris Packham has slammed mainstream news for the way in which it presents climate change, calling it “abjectly woeful” and “irresponsible”. Addressing the BBC Climate Creatives conference today (2nd Oct), Packham maintained that broadcasters fear they will “alienate” their audiences if they show the true extent of the climate crisis. Chris Packham “We are underusing our skills and resources to communicate. The absence of detailed truth about climate breakdown and biodiversity loss in mainstream news is abjectly woeful and irresponsible,” said the naturalist, who has presented programmes including Earth and Inside Our Autistic Minds. Packham urged broadcasters to push towards changing the way in which the public perceives the issue, turning it from a problem into an opportunity – but without mispresenting reality or hiding it. “Ultimately we have to serve our public the truth, but we have to infuse that with hope... We need to transform the public’s perception so they can empower themselves to take advantage when that opportunity might arise,” he said. “But if we as broadcasters don’t tell the truth we will lose their trust and once you’ve lost their trust you’ve lost them.” He particularly slammed the way in which news outlets cover climate protests, saying too much media space is given to the methods over the messages. “If my friends at Just Stop Oil throw powder on a snooker table it gets on the Six and Ten O’ Clock News. What the news no longer delivers is telling people why those activists are doing those things. That’s neglectful and irresponsible.” But he said this is also a failure on the part of the protestors, revealing he “constantly” tells Just Stop Oil they are not doing enough to control the media narrative. Packham suggested that broadcasters’ failure to show up at big climate protests only serves to encourage individuals to revert to stunts. |
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Big Cats 24/7 sales Big Cats 24/7 sells internationally – BBC2 wildlife series bought by broadcasters in Finland, France, Germany, Spain and China BBC Studios has made its first global sales for BBC2 series Big Cats 24/7, co-produced by the BBCS Natural History Unit (NHU) and PBS. In China, the six-part series has sold to bilibili, iQiyi, Tencent, Youku and linear channel CCTV World Geography. It has also been bought by YLE (Finland), France Televisions (France), Sky Deutschland (Germany) and Movistar Plus+ (Spain). The series, which follows the lives of lions, cheetahs and leopards in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, will also be available on the BBC Earth channel in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Romania, Malta, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. |
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ZDF greenlights Off The Fence Iceland doc ZDF has commissioned Iceland From Above (wt), a travel and adventure documentary from OTF Studios and Icelandic production company Sagafilm. The documentary, which is currently in production, will air in the third quarter of 2025 on ARTE, before its official launch on ZDF’s Terra X strand. OTF has also announced two new documentary series in its Wild… collection, again to be co-produced by OTF, its parent company ZDF Studios and ARTE. The two new documentaries — Wild Medics and Wild: Senses — follow Wild Talk (5 x 50 mins), which was unveiled in July. The documentary has been produced on location in Iceland for the Terra X strand, which produces around 50 premium history, nature, archaeology and science documentaries a year. The two-part documentary will “showcase the Land of Fire and Ice as it has never been seen before — from high above its dramatic topography, which ranges from glittering glaciers, blue lagoons and steaming geysers to towering waterfalls, lunar landscapes and some of the world’s angriest and most active volcanoes. But Iceland is more than Volcanic amusement park: it is also home to a hardy and intrepid people, who choose to share a corner of the world with nature at her most unpredictable and extreme.” Read more: televisual.com/news/zdf-greenlights-off-the-fence-iceland-doc |
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Bomanbridge, EarthxTV board enviro docuseries “The Climate Restorers” Conservation-focused independent television network EarthxTV is partnering with Bomanbridge Media as coproducers of the new docuseries The Climate Restorers. Created and produced by Transmediavision, the four-part series spotlights scientists, innovators and visionaries working to restore our climate and ecosystem, and explores the science behind nature-based technologies like carbon dioxide removal and methane oxidation that could bring the planet back from the brink of ecological decline. The series is narrated by Emmy-winning actor, director and activist Peter Coyote (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Erin Brockovich). The series is set to air on EarthxTV in the U.S. in early 2025. Bomanbridge will also represent EarthxTV for international sales and distribution of a slate of series focused on environmental sustainability and conservation. The Climate Restorers is executive produced by actor Alexandra Dowling (Game of Thrones, The Musketeers) and MIT-educated physicist, engineer, entrepreneur and social philanthropist Peter Fiekowsky (author of Climate Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race). John Bowey serves as director and producer. From: realscreen.com/2024/10/08/bomanbridge-earthxtv-board-enviro-docuseries-the-climate-restorers |
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BBC orders three new natural history series BBC Factual has ordered three new natural history series from John Downer Productions, Offspring Films and the BBC’s NHU. Spy in the Troop, from John Downer Productions, is a 4×60’ series for BBC One and iPlayer that “delves deep into the minds of primates to discover how like us our closest living relatives really are”; An Hour on Earth, a 4×60’ from Offspring Films “takes the audience on an immersive ride through the busiest moments in the natural world – nature’s rush hours”; and Matriarch, from BBC Studios Natural History Unit, puts the focus on the female chimpanzees of the Gombe for the first time. Sreya Biswas, Head of Commissioning, Natural History, says “It’s so exciting to be announcing three incredible series that showcase a wide variety of natural history. From the amazing camera technology of Spy in the Troop to the compelling narratives of Matriarch to the real-time storytelling of An Hour of Earth, we are so thrilled to be making such a variety of series.” Read more: televisual.com/news/bbc-orders-three-new-natural-history-series |
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Former Nat Geo, Nutopia exec Geoff Daniels joins PBS in VP role American public broadcaster PBS has brought on former National Geographic unscripted EVP Geoff Daniels as VP of development and production. The veteran non-fiction programming executive comes to PBS from a stint as executive director for natural history and conservation media organization Jackson Wild. Prior to that, Daniels served as EVP of unscripted entertainment for London-headquartered prodco Nutopia, where he oversaw such projects as Rewind the 90s and Shark Beach. While at Nat Geo, where he served as EVP of global unscripted entertainment, Daniels oversaw the launch of the Nat Geo Wild brand, and also managed and commissioned such network franchises as Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum (both produced by Nutopia). Sylvia Bugg, chief programming executive and general manager, general audience programming at PBS, praised Daniels in a statement regarding the hire: “He has a passion for finding stories that truly illuminate the world around us, and his expertise will help bring new productions to every platform where viewers seek out PBS content.” Bill Gardner, previously VP of multi-platform programming and head of development at PBS, left the pubcaster in January 2024 after 12 years with the organization, and has founded his own prodco, Ocean Rock Studios. From: realscreen.com/2024/10/10/former-nat-geo-nutopia-exec-geoff-daniels-joins-pbs-in-vp-role |
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Is nature-friendly farming a better way to grow food? Meet Georgie Bray, the farm manager at RSPB Hope Farm. In this short film, she explains what nature-friendly farming looks like and what it means for the future of both food and wildlife. What is nature-friendly farming? And can it secure our food production at a time when farms and farmers are really struggling? We asked RSPB Farm Manager, Georgie Bray, to tell us more.
To find out more about nature-friendly farming visit: rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-we-do/influence-government-and-business/farming |
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Love Nature, Sky Nature order Wild Side of the Moon from Humble Bee As the Wildscreen Festival kicked off its 2024 edition in Bristol, UK on Monday (October 14), Washington D.C.–headquartered Love Nature revealed that it has teamed with Europe’s Sky Nature and revealed the greenlight of a new three-part series that will spotlight the surprising ways in which all living things are connected to the phases and force of Earth’s moon. Produced by Humble Bee Films, Wild Side of the Moon (3 x 60 min., pictured) will reveal some of the most distinctive aspects of animal behavior under lunar influence — including breeding, feeding and navigation — across a wide range of wildlife, from massive creatures such as humpback whales and elephants to the more micro world of tree frogs and dung beetles. As per the two commissioning platforms’ previous collaboration with Humble Bee on the nature series Airborne, Love Nature will premiere the new series on its streaming services and linear channels globally, with Sky Nature rolling it out in the UK, Germany and Italy. Love Nature parent Blue Ant Studios will oversee pre-sales and licensing of the title outside of the commissioning territories. Wild Side of the Moon is executive produced by Kathryn Taylor for Sky Nature and Katie Murdock for Love Nature. For Humble Bee Films, Dominic Weston is showrunner, and the executive producers are Charlotte Crosse and Stephen Dunleavy. |
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Behind The Scenes Of A Nature Documentary | Mammals | BBC Earth Filming a wildlife documentary takes a lot of commitment, whether it's living up a tree for two weeks or befriending a family of whales over 15 years... Wildlife cameraman John Aitcheson on filming bats, AP Lillian Todd-Jones on echidnas, smooth-coated otters and spectral tarsiers, underwater cinematographer René Heuzey on sperm whales ...
Find out much more about Mammals: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xxn5 Also read: Making Mammals: Born to survive, built to thrive by Scott Alexander, Series Producer for Mammals Around 66 million years ago an asteroid struck the earth and wiped out around three quarters of all animal life. However, out of the darkness that followed one group of animals rose to become one of the most successful living today - and the Dark is where we chose to begin our story. I was surprised when I learnt that more than two thirds of all mammal species living today are nocturnal, and only become active after dark. Like me, a warm blooded, hairy mammal, I had assumed that the majority went to bed at night, like the chimps making their tree top beds at the start of the Dark episode. But the dark is where mammals spent the majority of their early years, with fur coats to keep them warm. It’s in the shadows that they honed some of the skills that helped them become so successful, including the leopard’s incredible night vision, letting it leap through tree top branches with ease in pursuit of baboons, or the remarkable hearing of the Fennec fox, like a detectorist, listening for hidden treasure in the sand, although in this case it’s for food not gold. More here ... |
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Wildscreen: run towards creative risk says BBC's Moore Natural history will continue to be a cornerstone of BBC programming, said BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore addressing the Wildscreen Festival conference, which is taking place in Bristol this week. Pointing out that landmark BBC shows Wild Isles and Planet Earth III were the most watched factual shows in the UK market in 2023, Moore said: “we’re committed because it’s the story of who we are, what our place in the world is.” She added, “I don’t just believe in factual television, I believe in specialisms that fit within that.” This week the BBC has announced several new natural history shows, including Secret Garden, a new blue chip series about our back gardens, from Plimsoll. While this is good news, it comes at a low point for the industry, with audience behaviour changing and funding hard to come by. Moore described a TV industry in “crisis” and delivered a call to action: “This is our moment to be really inventive. Rather than run away from risk, we absolutely have to run towards it…to be courageous in our vision of what natural history filmmaking really means.” “With what is happening to our planet, it matters more than ever before. We have to find a way to push at those boundaries.” In conversation with Silverback co-founder Alastair Fothergill, Moore talked about her TV roots in the genre, having first worked for Bristol’s Icon Films. The fact that Icon has now closed underscored the on-stage discussion about the need for funding and how funding models need to change Moore expanded on the evolution of natural history, with shows since Blue Planet now showing context, some of it presenting uncomfortable truths, plus revealing behind the scenes on wildlife shoots. More recently, finding “the courage to talk about climate and biodiversity issues.” She talked about the BBC’s seven-year Our Changing Planet series, visiting fragile ecosystems and the Earthshot prize, with Prince William and David Attenborough; and the coverage of conservation stories in upcoming landmark Asia (pictured), produced by BBC Studios NHU. Moore and Fothergill further explored how the genre has found new stories and new ways of telling stories. Read more here: televisual.com/news/wildscreen-run-towards-creative-risk-says-bbcs-moore |
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Oxford Scientific to investigate spy whale for BBC2 Doc will shed new light on identity of beluga whale nicknamed Hvladimir In April 2019 a seemingly tame beluga whale approaches a Norwegian fishing boat seeking help. It is wearing a harness fitted with a camera mount. When the words "Equipment St Petersburg" are discovered printed on the buckle speculation breaks out that he has been engaged in some kind of sinister undercover activity. International attention focuses on the small local community and visitors flock to the port of Hammerfest in the hope of catching a glimpse of the whale who is now performing tricks, including retrieving mobile phones from the seabed. They name him Hvaldimir – a play on the Norwegian word for whale and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but is this enchanting animal really a spy? This feature-length documentary explores the mystery of the strange whale and asks where he came from, who trained him and why; and what he was doing in a critically-important part of the Arctic, close to Russian waters. It’s a story that delves into the history of military training of dolphins and whales, taking us on an extraordinary journey from the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War to Putin’s Russia and modern-day warfare. With exclusive interviews and access to unseen footage, the film explores the secret world of marine mammal training and international espionage, and sheds new light on the true identity of Hvaldimir, the "Spy Whale". Read more: broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/oxford-scientific-to-investigate-spy-whale-for-bbc2/5198215.article Visit: oxfordscientificfilms.tv Watch: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002504p |
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Asia – Official Trailer - BBC BBC Studios series telling the story of the biggest continent on Earth through its epic landscapes and spectacular wildlife One continent, endless wonders If you think you have seen the best the natural world has to offer, think again! Join Sir David Attenborough as he takes you across our planet’s largest continent. A continent steeped in beauty and intrigue. From the polar wilderness of Siberia to the coral seas of the Indian Ocean, revealing the breathtaking variety of Asia's wildest places. |
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France TV, ‘Nova’ strike copro deal with Pernel Media for “Origins of Mammals” Paris-headquartered prodco Pernel Media has struck a copro deal with France Télévisions and its ‘Science Grand Format’ strand, as well as American public service station WGBH and its renowned ‘Nova’ strand, for the upcoming doc Origins of Mammals. The project (available in 90-minute, 2 x 45-minute and 52-minute formats) explores the topic through the lens of a recent discovery. In 2023, after four decades of excavations in South Africa’s Karoo desert, paleontologists unearthed the oldest and largest deposits of therapsid fossils, the earliest known ancestor of mammals. Pernel Media has had exclusive access to the 2024 expedition in the Karoo desert, which has seen paleontologists try to find further evidence. The doc also makes use of extensive CGI and VFX to bring the story to life Read more: realscreen.com/2024/10/21/france-tv-nova-strike-copro-deal-with-pernel-media-for-origins-of-mammals |
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BBC Studios, China’s GRT partner on nature doc “Our Home: Wild Guangdong” BBC Studios Science Unit has announced a new coproduction venture with China’s Guangdong Radio and Television (GRT), a provincial-level mainstream media company that provides multiple services across radio, television, OTT and mobile client. The three-part Our Home: Wild Guangdong (w/t) will travel across China’s most populous province to showcase how the region’s unique geography, microclimate and landscapes have created a thriving oasis for wildlife that lives side by side with the region’s approximately 130 million people. Local experts and cutting-edge science will allow viewers to discover the secrets behind the region’s spectacular habitats, while never-before-seen footage will spotlight a number of rare, extraordinary animals, many of them unique to Guangdong. “We are incredibly proud and privileged to be partnering with Guangdong Radio and Television on this ambitious project,” said Andrew Cohen, head of the BBC Studios Science Unit, in a release. “The series will share the beauty of Guangdong to audiences around the world, showcasing the myriad of different environments that make this such a unique and inspiring part of the natural world.” From: realscreen.com/2024/10/21/bbc-studios-chinas-grt-partner-on-nature-doc-our-home-wild-guangdong |
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Blue Ant Media, Pluto TV expand partnership with new FAST launches Blue Ant Media has announced that it has agreed to a multi-faceted partnership with Pluto TV, which includes the launch of two Blue Ant–owned and –operated FAST channels, Love Nature and Homeful, as well as a multi-genre content licensing package for the free streaming platform in the U.S. The deal marks the first Blue Ant Media FAST channel launch on Pluto TV in the U.S., expanding its existing channel partnership across Canada, the UK, LatAm and EMEA for the channels Homeful, HauntTV, NatureTime, Declassified, Love Pets and Total Crime. It also builds on the company’s prior content licensing agreement in the U.S. Julio Sobral, SVP of channel distribution for Blue Ant Media, and Bryan Gabourie, SVP, international sales and partnerships for Blue Ant Studios, worked in collaboration across channels and content distribution to broker the expanded partnership with Pluto TV. Love Nature’s lineup of award-winning wildlife and nature programming includes titles like Wildlife ER (6 x 60 min., pictured), New Kids in the Wild (5 x 60 min.) and Battle of the Alphas (12 x 30 min.). Additional Love Nature originals coming to the channel later this year include the latest season of Orangutan Jungle School (6 x 60 min.) and Macaque Island (3 x 60 min.) Read more: realscreen.com/2024/10/22/blue-ant-media-pluto-tv-expand-partnership-with-new-fast-launches |
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BBC Studios inks natural history output deal with NPO, teams with JTBC on South Korean docuseries BBC Studios and Dutch public service broadcaster NPO announced at MIPCOM that they have agreed on a new output deal for natural history content. The multi-year agreement will grant NPO a first look on all BBC Studios natural history titles for its linear channels and streaming services in the Netherlands. Initial titles acquired under the new deal include the blue-chip docuseries Mammals, as well as Changing Planet: Coral Special, which examines the issues facing the planet’s most threatened ecosystems. In other BBC Studios news out of MIPCOM, BBCS revealed that it is collaborating on a new three-part docuseries with South Korean broadcaster JTBC, marking the first Korean coproduction for the studio’s Asian arm.. Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-Hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure (3 x 48 min.) follows model and actress Song Ji-Hyo (pictured) — best known as the star of Running Man, Korea’s longest-running variety show — as she goes free-diving with the legendary haenyeo female underwater sea fishers, with whom she feels she has a special connection |
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Guardians of the Gibbons: can India save its only ape species from extinction? The dad raising an endangered species ... The Guardian's latest documentary, Guardians of the Gibbons takes you to the lush landscapes of Barekuri, north-east India, where the country’s only ape species – the hoolock gibbons – live in harmony with the local community. This fresh perspective on conservation centres on Mohit Chutia, a devoted father who is taking care of a gibbon family while raising his own, observing his close bond with this endangered species. Mohit teams up with researcher Ishika Ramakrishna, combining their skills and knowledge to tackle the gibbons' urgent population decline, endangered because of severe habitat loss through deforestation and extractive industrial destruction from oil and gas. The UN’s 16th Biodiversity Convention kicked off in Colombia on Monday, yet a staggering majority of countries failed to submit their plans on how to halt the destruction of the Earth’s ecosystems. I spoke to film-makers Raginee Nath and Chinmoy Sonowal about how this rare animal-human coexistence can offer a vital example to India and the world.
For over a century the villagers of Barekuri, north-east India’s biodiversity hotspot, have coexisted with the country’s only ape species, the hoolock gibbon. But this harmony stands in fragile ecological balance. Mohit Chutia, a 55-year-old farmer and father, has been taking care of one gibbon family while raising his own. When researcher Ishika Ramakrishna arrives to study human-gibbon interactions, she joins forces with Mohit and the villagers to tackle the gibbons' urgent population decline, endangered by habitat loss, deforestation and industrial catastrophe. |
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This slaughter of whales and dolphins can't go on – Megan McCubbin Why The Faroese Whale Slaughter Must End ... Megan McCubbin says: "Many of you will have seen the horrific footage shared on social media this year of the whale slaughter – or grindadráp as its known – that continues to take place in the Faroe Islands despite international outcry. I wanted to visit the islands myself to find out why the Faroese are still continuing killing these beautiful whales and dolphins in the face of the climate and biodiversity crises, and failing ocean ecosystems. I also wanted to draw attention to the relationship we have with this slaughter, right here in the UK. The free trade agreement in place between the UK and the Faroe Islands currently sees over £1 billion worth of fish products imported into the UK every year – in contrast we export little over £33 million of UK products to the Faroese.
I think that we have a right to choose where are money is spent, and which countries and economies we support. That’s why I’m calling upon the UK Government to suspend the free trade agreement with the Faroe Islands. Join me and write to your MP today, asking them to back the campaign. Slash Trade, Not Whales! Email your MP lovera.ge/stopthegrind" |
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Recommended book: Animal Activism On and Off Screen Animal Activism On and Off Screen examines the relationship between animal advocacy and the film and television industries. Leading scholars, activists, and film industry professionals critically analyse the ways in which animal activism has been represented inside and outside film and television programs in relation to the politics of celebrity, vegan, and animal activism. Case studies include UK, US, and German television crime fiction, feature-length advocacy documentaries such as Blackfish (2013), The Ghosts in Our Machine (2013), The Animal People (2019) and Meat the Future (2020); fiction films such as Okja (2017) and Cloud Atlas (2012); as well as celebrity chefs, French activism and celebrity activists Pamela Anderson, Joaquin Phoenix and James Cromwell. By exploring three key aspects of the current context for animal rights: representations of activism on screen; activist texts and their reception; and celebrity vegans and animal advocates, Animal Activism On and Off Screen evaluates the efficacy of advocacy narratives in film and on television, and offers important insights intended to inform animal advocacy strategies and campaigns. “A great read for those interested in activism, how the media spreads messages, and how the cultural landscape around us is formed.” – Anthony Morris, Books+Publishing The book is available at Amazon.co.uk Published by Sydney University Press on the 3rd of July 2024 |
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Prop 12 Divides Farmers, California's Dairy Crisis, WWF's 2024 Report & more | Month in a Minute The October 2024 edition of Sentient Media's popular Month in a Minute series is here! Watch their 60-second recap of the top stories in animals, food and farming. The WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Report reveals that over the past 50 years, wildlife populations have shrunk by 73%, due to habitat loss caused by unsustainable agriculture, with 82% of all agricultural lands used for grazing and producing feed for livestock. As bird flu deaths mount among California dairy cows, with a higher than expected 10% to 15% mortality rate, two new human cases are diagnosed in California, with experts stating “we could have a major human outbreak." Meanwhile bird-flu infected cattle are dumped at a California roadside. Pork producers launch an ad campaign fighting for a federal solution to Prop 12, with adverts claiming small family farmers will be crushed. Meanwhile, a new report highlights farmers supporting Prop 12, with some claiming “we tore all our gestation crates out… and we’re doing better." And in the the UK, lab-grown meat could be sold in next few years, with applications for lab-grown steak, beef, chicken and foie gras already submitted. Narration by Jasmine C. Perry Watch all this and more in the October media recap!
Have a little more time? Browse more top stories here: sentientmedia.org/the-month-in-a-minute-october-2024 |
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