The third Ireland Wildlife Film Festival was held virtually (again), due to COVID-19, from the 10-20th of November 2021. Many submissions came in from all around the globe, resulting in a great collection of films in three categories, Feature Film, Short Film and Student Short Film, and I was asked to be a judge for a third year running!
The Ireland Wildlife Film Festival is the first of its kind in Ireland and seeks to bring stories of conservation and species preservation to the big screen while also striving to create a community of filmmakers and audience members who care deeply about environmental issues.
The winner for best Feature Film will receive 500 Euro and laurels.
The winner for best Student Film will receive 200 Euro and laurels.
The winner for best Short Film will receive 300 Euro and Laurels.
The film that receives the most popular votes will receive the "Best of Fest" award, this can come from any category. The "Best of Fest" will receive a special laurel.
Twenty films were selcted for screening during the virtual event:
This year all of the spectacular wildlife and conservation films were free for all to watch from November 10-20th.
It's that time of the year again! The Ireland Wildlife Film Festival is only a few weeks away. This year we have 22 spectacular wildlife and conservation films that will be free for all from November 10-20 on www.irelandwildlifefilmfestival.com.
Check out the Official Line-Up Trailer below!
Meet Dot, the little wild horse foal! She is a Przewalski’s horse, the only true wild horse species of the world. Although the origin of this endangered species is in Mongolia, Dot lives in the heart of Europe, on the grassy plains of Hungary called the “Puszta”.
25 years ago some were introduced here and the wild horses instantly formed an organic connection with this magical land: today it is one of the world’s largest wild horse herd with 300 animals! This is their story.
Finalists:
The Frozen Kingdom of the Snow Leopard
Directed by Frédéric Larreya – regard-du-vivant.fr
Shot over three years in China’s Qhinghai Mountains, The Frozen Kingdom of the Snow Leopard tell the story of a devoted female snow leopard that has decided to settle in a new, unfamiliar valley where she will give birth, and raise two cubs despite all odds until they eventually reach adulthood.
It contains behaviours never before filmed of this elusive and fascinating predator.
Operation Wolf Patrol is a character driven documentary that tells the story of eco-activist Rod Coronado as he emerges from prison and recommits himself to the protection of wild animals. The film follows Rod and his group of volunteer “wolf patrollers” as they attempt to end wolf hunting in the United States. Over the course of three years, we watch Rod work to redefine his activism in an era– post 9/11, where some have called him an “ecoterrorist.” Rod’s current efforts are set against his 30-year involvement in radical environmental action. The film comes to a climax when Coronado's "Wolf Patrol" is met with a tightening of "hunter harassment laws" in Wisconsin, and renewed attempts to send Coronado back to prison. Now, Coronado must ask himself, if he is not willing to go back to prison for "eco-sabotage," is he willing to go back to fight a law that some are calling "unconstitutional"?
Across the eastern coast of the Black Sea, through the foothills of the Southern Caucasus Mountains one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles takes place. Over a million birds of prey pass through a narrow bottleneck in Georgia. Below them, scientists and birders eagerly watch and record the skies whilst at the same time local traditions send showers of bullets and nets snapping in their direction.
With only 400 left in the wild, the Haast tokoeka has the unfortunate title of being the world's rarest kiwi. Follow Almer, this season's smallest chick, in his first year of life in a ground-breaking conservation program: ”Operation Nest Egg.” Watch as he grows from a tiny ball of fluff into a 2kg predator-fighting machine, and witness the dedication of the people striving to give him a chance at life.
Whales in a Changing Ocean
Directed by Richard Sidey – richardsidey.com
In Antarctica, nothing is stationary. The only constant is change. One noticeable and increasingly evident change is the recovery of the humpback whales that feed in the waters off the Antarctic Peninsula, after industrial whaling almost wiped them out. In February 2020, wildlife filmmaker Richard Sidey was invited to join a team of scientists undertaking humpback whale research in Antarctica with Conservation International. Whales in a Changing Ocean follows the team as they observe humpback whale behavior and gather information vital to protecting the Antarctic continent into the future.
Best Student Short Film
Best Student Short Film and Audience Choice Popular Vote Winner ... i.e. Best of Fest: Seabird
Directed by Conor Ferris – instagram.com/c.ferris
Since he was a boy, writer Adam Nicolson has been visiting remote islands in Scotland that once filled with seabirds each summer. After witnessing the distressing decline of these colonies first hand, he shares a unique perspective on the resilience of life in the face of catastrophe.
The Trail beyond Highland Road is a 2D animated dramedic short focusing on the consequences of deforestation, and how two residents from a prosperous suburban town perceive it through an endangered species of deer. The Trail follows a single father named Emilio Vasquez and his little daughter Ariel, who spend their summer days in the quaint laid back urban town of Highland, New Jersey. However, upon realizing that a whole bunch of deer have been eating up bushes and gardens all across the town, including Emilio’s, the two end up having completely different views on the animals. Emilio is resentful towards them for ruining the community gardens, including his own, whereas Ariel has having never seen these animals as much in her young age, thus making her more fascinated. When Emilio shoos one deer away, Ariel chases after it at the town’s nearby Meadows Trail forest. In a desperate pursuit to get his daughter back, Emilio discovers something frighteningly off about the trail itself.
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