The fourth Ireland Wildlife Film Festival was held virtually from the 10-20th of December 2022. 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 fourth 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.
Today we are witnessing habitat destruction and extinction at rates never before seen on our planet. Now, more than ever, it is of the utmost importance to advocate for the well being of the earth and our neighboring species.
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 one 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 December 10-20th.
Wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson returns home on a very personal project - to turn his old childhood garden into a haven for native wildlife. After 30 years of filming the world’s most iconic creatures, Colin heads back to Ireland and a garden he spent his childhood summers spraying and mowing into a perfect lawn. But now he wants to transform his old playground into a sanctuary for the native plants and animals now struggling to survive on these islands and inspire viewers to do the same.
Finalists:
Part of the Pack, directed by Isabelle Groc ahd Mike McKinlay. The Witness is a Whale, directed by Nick Dean and Cheryl Dean.
Best Short Film
Winner: Takeaway Directed by Lou Sumray.
A hand drawn tale inspired by the antics of the Bowerbird, that gives an insight into what really happens to all that single use plastic that we use and so recklessly discard.
Finalists:
Hatchets & Hope - The Killarney Mountain Meitheal, directed by Aoibheann O'Sullivan. Little Ox, directed by Raf Wathion and Patrick Vandebroeck.
Best Student Short Film
Winner: Ghost Ponds Directed by Amanda Sosnowski.
In the farmland of England, a search and rescue mission is underway. A team is working to excavate land haunted by ghosts… but these are not ordinary ghosts… they are ghost ponds. Norfolk used to have a record number of ponds, but modern-day farming is burying England’s wetlands at an exponential rate. With a looming biodiversity crisis, a grassroots movement is reviving farmland ponds as an unexpected last hope to protect freshwater wildlife.
Finalist:
My Neighbour is a Bear, directed by Mattia Cialoni.
Audience Choice Popular Vote Winner:
Winner: Hatchets & Hope - The Killarney Mountain Meitheal
Directed by Aoibheann O'Sullivan
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