Wildscreen Panda Awards 2018 Winners Announced! By Wildscreen
19th October 2018
Rise of the Warrior Apes, Blue Planet II and One Strange Rock lead the way at the 2018 Wildscreen Panda Awards
A gripping feature documentary, which follows a chilling political and social drama set amongst the world’s largest troop of chimpanzees, tonight walked away with the most coveted international prize in the international wildlife film and TV genre – the WWF Golden Panda Award.
RISE OF THE WARRIOR APES – produced by Keo Films, stood out amongst the 37 other finalists from 12 countries to claim not only the Golden Panda but also walked away with the Script Award and Films at 59 Sound Award. Set in Ngogo, Uganda, the epic story is told through the accounts of scientists who themselves witnessed and recorded the chilling events as they unfolded over two decades.
Elsewhere, National Geographic’s ONE STRANGE ROCK, which tells the extraordinary story of Earth, swept the board in each of the three categories for which it was nominated – Innovation, Music and the Doghouse Editing Award.
Despite receiving the most nominations, BLUE PLANET II walked away with three trophies – ORF Animal Behaviour, Panasonic Cinematography (large budget) and the National Geographic Series Award.
For the first time in the 36 year history of the Awards, the Outstanding Achievement Award was awarded to a women. Ellen Windemuth, Founder and CEO of Off The Fence Productions, received the award in honour of her dedication to and innovation within the natural world storytelling genre.
The 2018 roll of honour also included the first ever photography awards, immersing the craft fully within the 36 year old industry awards. The Animal Friends Photo Story Award went to Australian photographer Doug Gimesy for his story documenting the plight of one of the world’s largest bats, the grey-headed flying fox. And twenty-six year old Brit, Luke Massey, walked away with the inaugural Emerging Talent Photo Story Award for his story following the lives of two peregrine falcons who have made their home amongst Chicago’s skyscrapers. The finalists and winners of the Animal Friends Photo Story Awards are currently featured in a free, large-scale outdoor exhibition located on College Green, Bristol, until 7 November.
Lucie Muir, CEO of Wildscreen, said: “Humanity’s impact, interaction and stewardship of nature, whether it be on a local or planetary scale, was a consistent message weaved throughout the entries, finalists and winners of the 2018 Panda Awards competition. And for the Panda Awards themselves, we are thrilled for a year of firsts, with the role of women and photography in the global storytelling community being recognised. But most importantly, the awards underline the power of authentic voices, whether they be of scientists, filmmakers or everyday people, to tell the most extraordinary stories, in their own words, and the power those stories have to reach the hearts and minds of others for the benefit of the natural world.”
The Wildscreen Panda Awards ceremony 2018 was hosted by television presenter Lizzie Daly and United Nations Patron of the Oceans, Lewis Pugh.
The ceremony, hosted at The Passenger Shed, concludes the 2018 Wildscreen Festival – the world’s biggest global gathering of natural world storytellers. Held in Bristol, the biennial event convenes more than 900 filmmakers, photographers, broadcasters and content creators, from over 40 countries, for an unrivalled programme of 130 events, featuring 180 industry thought-leaders.
Principal sponsors of the Wildscreen Festival 2018 are BBC Studios, Disneynature, Love Nature, National Geographic and Terra Mater Factual Studios.
The full roll of Wildscreen Panda Award winners is:
ORF UNIVERSUM ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR AWARD
Blue Planet II - One Ocean BBC Studios - The Natural History Unit with The Open University and BBC America, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV9
United Kingdom
Blue Planet II - One Ocean BBC Studios - The Natural History Unit with The Open University and BBC America, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV9
United Kingdom
Photography by: Alfredo Barroso, Chris Bryan, Patrick Dykstra, Tom Fitz, Ted Giffords, Steve Hathaway, Roger Horrocks, Roger Munns, Didier Noirot, David Reichert, Nuno Sá & Gavin Thurston
TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS IMPACT AWARD (large budget)
The Last Animals Atlas Films and Foxtail Entertainment in association with Artemis Rising Foundation, The British Film Company and Diamond Docs
United States
TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS IMPACT AWARD (small budget)
My Congo
BBC Studios Natural World – a co-production of BBC and Thirteen Productions LLC in association with WNET
United Kingdom
Presented by: Vianet Djenguet
Blue Planet II
BBC Studios - The Natural History Unit with The Open University and BBC America, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV9
United Kingdom
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