The Ankara International Wildlife Documentary Film Festival, exclusively dedicated to documentaries about wildlife, and therefore considered “the first of its kind” in Türkiye, was held between the 15-18th of May 2025!
The festival had a packed program, over four days, including documentary film screenings, discussions with film crews, workshops, and seminars.
The festival will included a competition section in which documentary films from around the world were assessed in two categories: feature-length and short films.
Award statuettes designed by Turkish artists Zeynep Beler and Dogancan Yilmaz
The documentary competition within the scope of the Ankara International Wildlife Documentary Film Festival is organised into two categories:
Short Documentary Category - Documentaries with a duration of 20 - 51 minutes including credits Feature Documentary Category - Documentaries with a duration of 52 - 90 minutes including credits
The directors of the winning documentaries received a statuette and a plaque.
Two Special Jury awards were given in each category.
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Documentary
Special Jury Awards – Feature
Special Jury Awards – Short
The finalists were announced on the 10th of February ... the festival organisers said ¨The long-awaited moment has arrived! Many thanks to all the documentary filmmakers who supported us in the first year of our festival and submitted their works. Congratulations to the finalists! We can't wait to see you at the festival!¨
A land of sacred peaks and secret creatures, lost in the mists of time, somewhere between folklore and magic. A land that has challenged conventional notions of wilderness and showcased nature's remarkable ability to adapt and thrive in a new wilderness. This is a story of India's very first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve - the Nilgiris - one of Asia´s most intensively studied areas. This is the first feature length documentary about this region, that takes us on a journey of discovery and uncovers the many secrets that makes this region incredibly special.
Wildlife filmmaker and National Geographic Fellow Sandesh Kadur is known most recently for his work on “Our Planet” by Netflix and “The Okavango Experience” - a 360 degree, virtual reality series that follows National Geographic Society’s Okavango Project. Kadur creates award-winning wildlife documentary films and photography books exposing the need to conserve threatened species and habitats around the world. His documentary films have aired worldwide on National Geographic, the BBC, Netflix, Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet, and have won prestigious international awards, including a 2017 EMMY nomination and the 2017 BAFTA award for his work on BBC “Planet Earth II”.
Wind was the weakest cub in the fox family. By chance, he becomes the only one who survived the bear onslaught. Overcoming the challenges of his first winter, he earns the affection of the enchanting Lava. But spring returns, so do the bears.
Dmitry Shpilenok graduated from Moscow State Art and Cultural University, majoring in film and TV directing. He is a documentary filmmaker, and was the lead operator of the film “Kamchatka Bears - Life Begins” (24 awards, 2018 Golden Eagle award in the category Best Documentary, Russian Geographical Society award in the category Best Media Project). Among his other documentaries are “Saiga - Karma of the Steppes” (2005, 26 min), and “Sockeye Salmon - Red Fish” (2020, 51 min).
A true coming-of-age story about three orphaned desert lion cubs who discovered a most remarkable way of survival along the mystical shores of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. A story as surprising as it is inspiring: a true-life drama about resilience and survival. Documented over eight years, we follow the ground-breaking work of lion researcher Dr Philip Stander as he witnesses the orphaned cubs’ incredible journey, from their first unsteady steps in the heart of the desert, to their remarkable discovery of an extraordinary life along the hostile Skeleton Coast.
After more than a decade in the wildlife and environment television industry, Will and Lianne Steenkamp ventured on their own in 2009 and started on an adventurous journey that brought about character-led, behavioral driven wildlife films with captivating stories. Having received international recognition for their films including two Emmy nominations, Best of Festivals, and multiple awards, they continue to reach wide audiences. Their work has broadcasted worldwide on channels such as BBC, National Geographic, Smithsonian, ORF, Arte, WDR, NDR, RTL and many more.
The documentary explores a border village in North Khorasan where tranquility is shattered by the disappearance of dogs and the fear instilled by a brazen panther. Villagers, instead of taking drastic measures, seek help from environmental authorities and experts. After ten days of struggle, they capture an old panther, shedding light on the mystery behind the dog-eating behavior. However, an unfortunate incident occurs after the panther is transported to Tehran, adding a tragic twist to the story.
Fathollah Amiri, a distinguished Iranian documentary filmmaker, was born in 1981 in Ilam. His passion for art and cinema began at a young age, leading him to Tehran to pursue his studies at the IRIB University where he obtained both a bachelor's and master's degree in cinema. With his impactful and realistic documentaries, he has vividly portrayed the lives of animals, people, diverse cultures, and social issues. His works have been showcased multiple times at prestigious international festivals and have won numerous awards. He is also committed to educating and training the new generation of documentary filmmakers in Iran. Nima Asgari is a graduate of environment and natural resources. He studied filmmaking at the Youth Cinema Association - one of the most prestigious filmmaking associations in Iran. He started his work in 2007 in the Iranian Cheetah Society as a researcher and cinematographer on endangered species, such as the Iranian cheetah. His films are mostly about the relationship between humans and nature, and the effects of humans on the extinction of wildlife species. Nima is now the main member of the Wildlife Pictures Institute. He has made more than 30 films and received numerous awards at international festivals.
“Nika, the Pilot Whale”, is a documentary where Felipe Ravina, documentary filmmaker, scientist and graduate in Marine Sciences, establishes a connection with a pilot whale named Nika, on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands). This unusual bond with the animal makes him increasingly concerned about the current state of the island and its biodiversity. He cries out to heaven for the protection, conservation and defense of the natural spaces and their fauna of this region where the largest population of pilot whales, unique in the world, is found.
José Hernández is a Spanish director and filmmaker and an unconditional lover of the sea. Everything José films bears the stamp of his subtle artistic direction accompanied by powerful visual narratives that give each of his works an exceptional character. With a long professional career behind him linked to advertising work for renowned brands, he made his great debut in the documentary genre with “Iballa” (2021). The autobiographical film has become a banner for the fight for women's equality in sports and won the Silver Viznaga award for best documentary direction at the Malaga Film Festival.
The film sheds light on how even completely destroyed forests, for example after a forest fire, can quickly become an oasis of life. The reason why disturbance and openness of the forest ultimately lead to more life becomes clear when we look at woodland grazing - an ancient form of land use that has long been fought against and is now experiencing a renaissance. An integrative forest management that not only focuses on trees and timber yield, but also on biodiversity, climate and the inclusion of animal products in the harvest… A turning point that marks the preservation of biodiversity?
Jan Haft has written and directed more than 70 wildlife documentaries for televison and 4 theatrical films, and has received 270 awards worldwide. He has published 5 books with Penguin Random House. His current publications address the possibilities of halting the extinction of species and the loss of biodiversity and show how this can be achieved. Together with his wife and his three children he lives on a small farm where they keep water buffalos, horses and donkeys. With these animals they practice rewilding and then document the success of this practice – the return of species and biodiversity.
The inaugural Ankara International Wildlife Film Festival was an huge success ... friendly, well organised and meaningful. We congratulate Ece Soydam for her most excellent festival organising skills and wish her and the festival all the very best for the future!
Since the late 1990s Wildlife-film.com has been the leading source of information for the wildlife filmmaking industry worldwide. For over twenty years the site has been Google's number one ranking site for 'wildlife film' and related searches. Our site is viewed in over 195 countries. Our newsletter, Wildlife Film News, is read every month by thousands of people involved in wildlife filmmaking - from broadcasters and producers, to cameramen - we encourage readers to submit their news. We also serve as an online resource for industry professionals and services. Find producers, editors, presenters and more in our Freelancer section, and find out about festivals, training and conservation in Organisations. We encourage amateur and professional freelancers to join our network and welcome all wildlife-film related organisations to join our team.
Wildlife Film News is available every month straight to your Inbox! Subscribe here:
