The Wildlife Film Society’s short film competition premiere was an impressive display of the talented filmmakers at Bristol University. The event was a chance to see the beautiful landscapes and wildlife surrounding Bristol through their creative lens. The whole team Alfie Dickens, Ana Williams, Alessandro Ingargiola and Martin Inglin filled the night with exciting insights into the coming projects showcasing the celebrative environment they have created in working for the society.
The short films submissions presented a range of wildlife themes, with each group given an animal or place to showcase. This led to many destinations in topics and direction style which made the pieces so engaging to watch.
The Space In Between
The overall winners were The Space In Between, an amazing capture of Eastville Park, incorporating the narrative of Iris, Jen, Jose, Herbie, Ffion, Richard, Kai who work within the grounds. The piece spoke volumes to the talent of everyone involved in the project, Imogen Peckett, Gina Segrt, Tayla Hayes, Ruby Pearson, Hannah Jungbluth, Ollie Cawley, Katie Merriman.
Unsurprisingly, the piece also was awarded Best Edit. Editing highlighted the innate wildlife living within the space. However, the narrative of the film is what really gave life to it. The team created an informative yet reflective script on how being in nature grounds us. Steve Simpton who was one of the judges and teaches science and communications here at the university, said it provided a ‘spiritual conclusion’. This comment was really a good way to describe how the piece took the audience on a journey to show the moving impact nature has on our mental clarity.
We're Going on a Scavenge
We're Going on a Scavenge won the most awards of the night for its creative concept, behaviour, and audiences vote. Ben Graham, Max Forrest, Louis Grelet, Noah Repila Smith, Joshua Nott, Amy Cook reimagined the beloved story ‘We're Going on a Bear Hunt’ to deliver a comedic and informative piece, on the issue of foxes being victim to road related accidents. What was really impressive was that most shots were all filmed in one night!
Oh Deer
Oh Deer won the Best Science Communication award. This piece really opened up a largely unaddressed conversation on deer culling. This film delves into the complexities surrounding their topic. The film was centered around those who worked with deer very closely. The piece being in short form made it a really engaging segway into the debate. Hearing from Emilia Vale, Josh Williams, Lali Rhydderch, Atticus Burnett about the constantly evolving research made it even more impressive they were able to narrow it down and present a refined and communicative piece.
Common Ground
Common Ground winning the Character Award was a stand out moment of the night. The authentic commentary within the piece really elevated the location of Brandon hill. Those who featured in the film being in the audience at the premier made it a really heart warming moment. It was a tribute to the community that is created through nature and this society helped embrace it!
Gullible
Gullible was an extremely clever piece on the growing hostility between humans and seagulls. However, it was the drone footage that elevated the shots of the beach. Lewis Stefkens, Jacob Held, Aditya Sethi, Bee Groom, Maya Thompson, Hector Chen Jo despite not receiving any of the official awards, created a piece which was an unforgettable feature of the night.
From an outside perspective what really stood out was the vast networking done by the committee. The judges being Steve Simpson, Andy Wakefield, Matteo Clarke, Rob Hart, Felix Roland, Alfie Dickens, many of whom are alumni from the society and are now working within the industry. In coming back to support the competition it really shows the invaluable role it plays in providing opportunities for young film makers.
The event also provided an insight into the behind-the-scenes work going on and exciting announcements for the society. The main project, Secrets of the Southwest, will be the biggest student-led wildlife documentary. Incredible names surround the screenplay, the society having worked with David Attenborough on the script and Kevin McNally has come in to do the narration! Being able to see some footage really solidified the impressive scale of this project and filled the room with such an exciting atmosphere.
Following this, the committee displayed upcoming projects which students can currently get involved in. The successor to Secrets of the Southwest, Dusk Till Dawn, will be using nocturnal camera work to follow wildlife. This project will be out in November 2028, so there is still plenty of time to get involved.
The society has also been given permission to follow the reintroduction of beavers into Bristol wildlife! This project will be coming out in 2033, so if you are based in Bristol long term, this would be a really exciting journey to follow. This isn’t even all the upcoming projects, so make sure to follow the society to keep up to date with all the exciting activities.
Laura Cooper
Overall, the evening was a celebration of the art that can be found in natural ecosystems. The passion of the young filmmakers fuels the society, and the vast upcoming projects indicate no signs of it slowing down.
I feel really grateful to have attended this event and make sure to follow all upcoming activities with the social media links below!
Featured Image: Epigram / Josie Horneff
