International Wildlife Film Festival 2021

2040 (2019)

Damon Gameau

<p>2040 is an innovative feature documentary that looks to the future, but is vitally important NOW. Award-winning director Damon Gameau embarks on journey to explore what the future would look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them into the mainstream. Structured as a visual letter to his 4-year-old daughter, Damon blends traditional documentary footage with dramatized sequences and high-end visual effects to create a vision board for his daughter and the planet.</p>

A Perfect Planet

Huw Cordey

<p>Narrated by Sir David Attenbourgh and from the award-winning team behind the original Planet Earth and The Hunt, A Perfect Planet explains how the living planet operates, showing how the forces of nature--weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes--drive, shape, and support Earth&rsquo;s great diversity of life. In doing so, it reveals how animals are perfectly adapted to whatever the environment throws at them.</p>

A Voice for Whales

Selket Kaufman

<p>In 2018, Pacific Whale Foundation&rsquo;s founder Greg Kaufman passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer. A Voice for Whales was created by Greg&rsquo;s wife Selket Kaufman to tell the story of his fight to save humpback whales from extinction by educating the public, from a scientific perspective, about whales and their ocean habitat.</p>

Po Požárech (After The Wildfires)

Cian O'clery

<p>&quot;After the Wildfires&quot; is a 2020 Australian documentary directed by Cian O&#39;Clery. The film explores the aftermath of Australia&#39;s catastrophic bushfires, focusing on the recovery and resilience of wildlife and ecosystems. It delves into the efforts of scientists, conservationists, and local communities as they work to restore habitats and protect endangered species affected by the fires.</p>

L’ocelot, Un Félin En Danger (The Ocelot, A Feline in Danger)

Ben Masters

<p><span data-sheets-root="1"> "American Ocelot" chronicles the history, current challenges, and hopeful future of one of the United States' most endangered wild cats&mdash;the ocelot. With fewer than 120 individuals remaining in the U.S., primarily in South Texas, the film delves into conservation efforts by biologists, ranchers, and government agencies to protect and restore ocelot populations. Through camera trap cinematography, it offers a rare glimpse into the life of a mother ocelot raising her young, highlighting the species' struggle for survival and the collaborative efforts required to ensure their future.</span></p>

Aurora

Emilio José Álvarez García

<p>Aurora is a short film presenting the experience of a young volunteer in a marine turtle conservation program in the Caribbean. Through their eyes we will get to know the work carried out by the Xcacel Sea Turtle Camp in Mexico, and the effort of the entire team to protect the nests of this threatened species.</p>

Ocean Odyssey (2021)

Nick Robinson

<p>Follow a three-month-old baby whale on a magical journey down one of the Earth&#39;s great ocean highways to discover the incredible world of ocean currents - hidden marine rivers that flow around the Earth. As our young whale goes with the flow of the current on a great migration from the warm tropics to the frozen ice floes of Antarctica, she meets the curious creatures that call the current home, and discovers how the ocean nurtures all life on earth, from the smallest fish...to us.</p>

Bahari Yetu (Our Ocean)

Jahawi Bertolli

<p>The Indian Ocean is changing, and no group has witnessed this more than the Swahili people. Their culture relies on the ocean for survival, using methods handed down from their ancestors. In Bahari Yetu, fishermen from the Lamu Archipelago share their experiences of over half a century sailing these waters, as well as stories from their fathers and grandfathers who taught them their trade.</p>

Black Ram

Kier Atherton Rick Bass

<p>In Montana&rsquo;s Yaak Valley, local activist, Rick Bass, and others struggle to create the world&#39;s first designated Climate Refuge, while simultaneously battling to protect the valley&#39;s headwaters from the clearcutting of the Kootenai National Forest&#39;s old-growth in the proposed Black Ram mega-project.</p>

Cephalopods, Conquest Of The Seas

Bertrand Loyer

<p>Populations of cephalopods (the extensive mollusc family that includes cuttlefish, squid, and octopuses) are currently undergoing an explosion. Travel around the world, from the abyssal trenches to remote coral reefs, to unveil the secrets of their success.</p>

Chasing the SNOT of the Whales of Samana

Marvin del Cid

<p>SnotBot &mdash; a project of Ocean Alliance, a nonprofit that protects whales and their ocean environment &mdash; uses drones to capture the blow expelled from whales&rsquo; lungs and then to study all the biological matter it contains.</p>

Coming Home: The Mpilo And Makhosi Story

Andrew Malcolm

<p>Coming Home chronicles the translocation of two orphaned rhino calves to their new home in the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in South Africa. For Makhosi, it is a fresh start. For Mpilo, it is a return to the place of his birth. Coming Home shows the truth behind the protection of Africa&#39;s natural heritage, and the efforts being undertaken to restore the balance of our world.</p>

Korona – Pandemie A Luskouni (Corona - The Pandemic And The Pangolin)

Susanne Lummer

<p>A gripping call to action: uncover the roots of pandemics, from wildlife crime to zoonotic threats, with global experts sounding a crucial warning.</p>

Disappearing Penguins

Maarten van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal

<p>A team of scientists travels to Elephant Island, a remote island off the Antarctic peninsula, to find out how its penguin population is faring. Disappearing Penguins is introduced and narrated by Alison Sudol, actress, singer and Antarctic ambassador for Greenpeace.</p>

Echoes In The Arctic

Paul Nicklen Tahria Sheather Andy Maser

<p>Echoes in the Arctic follows celebrated wildlife photographer Paul Nicklen and a team of dedicated filmmakers and scientists on a vivid cinematic journey as they document the world&#39;s healthiest orca population in the Norwegian Arctic to help protect the ecosystem from oil exploration.</p>

Entangled (2020)

David Abel

<p>Entangled is an award-winning, feature-length film about how climate change has accelerated a collision between one of the world&#39;s most endangered species, North America&#39;s most valuable fishery, and a federal agency mandated to protect both. The film chronicles the efforts to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction, the impacts of those efforts on the lobster industry, and how the National Marine Fisheries Service has struggled to balance the vying interests. Entangled, by the makers of Lobster War and Sacred Cod, won a Jackson Wild award, known as the Oscars of nature films. It also won Best Feature Film at the Water Docs Film Festival, Best Conservation Film at the Mystic Film Festival, and the John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaking Award at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.</p>

Epic Yellowstone: A Winter Hunt

Thomas Winston

<p>It&rsquo;s winter in Yellowstone National Park. Driving snow and temperatures 50 degrees below zero collide with spewing heat from subterranean forces, creating dramatic, otherworldly displays. Along a geothermal river that never freezes, a bobcat navigates the challenges of winter in America&rsquo;s first national park. A Winter Hunt will be part of a special IWFF Awards Ceremony installation in downtown Missoula on April 30, 2021.</p>

Expedition Nautilus: Fiji

Gianna Savoie

<p>Go deep with a team of scientists and a young conservationist in search of one of Earth&#39;s most ancient and rarely seen creatures: the nautilus.</p>

Feathers In Flight: The Bird Genoscape Project

Neil Losin Nathan Dappen

<p>Mary Whitfield has spent two decades studying one of North America&rsquo;s rarest birds: the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. At her research sites in California, populations have dwindled significantly. Saving these birds is a challenge because they migrate to Latin America in the winter, so Mary has joined the Bird Genoscape Project, bringing together researchers from all over the Americas in an effort to protect the birds that unite the hemisphere.</p>

From the Mountains to the Ocean: Turtles of Alabama

Josef Fairbanks

<p>Alabama is a global hotspot for turtle diversity and the perfect playground for turtle scientists. The variety of microhabitats traversing the state create conditions for turtle diversity unmatched anywhere else on the planet. This film explores the &ldquo;glamorous life of turtles&rdquo; in Alabama -- from the dramatic alligator snapping turtle to the elusive and almost extinct flattened musk turtle -- and the special people who spend their time protecting this critical species.</p>

Gáax’w Ka Haaw: Herring Eggs & Branches

Tessa Ellie Schmidt Lee House

<p>Since time immemorial, the people of Southeast Alaska have harvested herring eggs by placing hemlock branches in herring spawn. This vital, traditional food supply is endangered by commercial fishing pressure. This film serves as both a record of the 2019 spring harvest efforts and a portrayal of the tension the Indigenous people of Sitka, Alaska and beyond are feeling as their traditional food source faces an uncertain future.</p>

Galapagos: Secrets of the Ocean Giants

Jeffrey Garriock

<p>In the Galapagos Islands, a group of scientists works to understand the movements of the world&#39;s largest fish - the whale shark. Without understanding their breeding and migrations, we cannot hope to protect them. The scientists of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project head north to Darwin Island to uncover the secrets of these ocean giants.</p>

Gamechangers: The Football Team Scoring Conservation Goals

Environmental Justice Foundation

<p>Six species of sea turtle once nested on Ghana&rsquo;s beaches, but only three are seen today. Hoping to stop the decline, Daniel Kwesi Botchwey has joined EJF&#39;s conservation campaign in Gomoa Fetteh, a coastal town in the Central Region of Ghana. A local project officer who also happens to be a football coach, Daniel has encouraged his team&#39;s players to become sea turtle patrollers as well.</p>

Growing Up Kiwi (2021)

Madeleine Brennan

<p>Follow Almer, a young Haast tokoeka kiwi chick, as he strives to survive his first year of life thanks to the ground-breaking conservation programme Operation Nest Egg.</p>

Hidden Wild (2021)

Nathan Dappen Neil Losin

<p>Behind the homes and freeways of suburban Palm Beach County, an incredible network of swamps, scrub, and waterways lies waiting to be discovered. Join science educator Alex Freeze as she takes three South Florida students on an expedition to discover the wilderness hidden in their own backyards.</p>

Home for All (2021)

Wasis Wardhana

<p>Some traditional communities in Sumatra, Indonesia, have long considered the tiger a sacred being. These communities have learned to avoid and mitigate human-tiger conflict, developing non-lethal tools while protecting their livestock from predation. Now they work to protect this most majestic and tragically threatened of big cats.</p>

Levhartí Královna (Leopard Legacy)

Will Steenkamp Lianne Steenkamp

<p>This film follows Olimba, an incredible leopardess and her two small cubs as they each face their own challenges. From their life-threatening encounters with hyenas, baboons and other leopards, to the remarkable triumphs of their most promising hunts, and the unexpected losses that bring tragedy to their lives &ndash; the two generations of leopards bring a real, intimate story of what truly happens in the fascinating life of such a gracious, elusive big cat &ndash; surviving as a mother, and as youngsters in the heartland of Africa.</p>

The Coyote: Yellowstone's Underdog

Bob Landis

<p>With the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park in 1995, coyotes went from top dog to underdog. Now the coyote must both depend upon the gray wolf, whose kills feed it through the winter, and defend against its vicious attacks.</p>

Wild Tokyo

Steve Gooder

<p>It may be the largest and most densely populated city on Earth, but Tokyo&rsquo;s 14 million human residents share their home with an astonishing array of wildlife. From jewel beetles and goshawks in the city&rsquo;s shrines to the forests of Okutama where bears, monkeys and tanuki feast, this film reveals the power of nature in Japan&rsquo;s capital.</p>

Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fairy Tales

Susan Scott

<p>Television presenter Bonn&eacute; de Bod and film director Susan Scott search for spaces that inspire awe and wonder, where one can feel the beginning of creation &ndash;&ndash; what life was like a million years ago. They reveal the challenge of filming in these spots, like temperatures bordering minus 20&ordm; in the Arctic Circle and the scalding thermal vents of Yellowstone&rsquo;s super-volcano.</p>

Youth V Gov (2020)

Christi Cooper

<p>Directed by filmmaker and scientist Christi Cooper, YOUTH v. GOV is the story of America&#39;s youth taking on the world&#39;s most powerful government. In 2015, twenty one young plaintiffs, ages 8 to 19, filed the lawsuit Juliana vs. United States, asserting a willful violation of their constitutional rights in creating our climate crisis. If they&#39;re successful, they&#39;ll not only make history, they&#39;ll change the future.</p>

The Last Song of the Nightingale

Katie Stacey Luke Massey

<p>The Last Song of the Nightingale tells the story of one of Europe&rsquo;s most well known birds: its natural history; its role in literature, art and music; as well as its cultural importance and its future. It employs a striking storytelling blend of animation, natural history, documentary-style filmmaking, and archive footage.</p>

Lichen

Lisa Jackson

<p><strong>Available only in the United States</strong></p> <p>This stunning otherworldly short film takes a deep dive into lichen, a species that confounds scientists to this day. Shot in macro 3D, Lichen offers us a look at this remarkable life form and asks what we might learn from it. Ancient and diverse, both an individual and a community, lichens can live in the most extreme environments, including outer space. This meditative film bridges science and philosophy, and the words of lichenologist Trevor Goward illuminate the terrain in poetic and thought-provoking ways.</p>

The Silence That Remains

Amparo Garrido

<p>Blind since the age of six, ornithologist Juan Carlos Sires is able to identify nearly 200 bird species that he cannot see by their songs or calls. In this personal and poignant film, the the relation between animal nature, blindness, and absence is movingly explored.</p>

Under Review: Katahdin

Kelly Ashton Todd

<p>A boy grows up spending his days amongst the trees. Through his daily visits of climbing, playing and swinging from branches, he develops a loving friendship with the tree and her saplings. But, the boy grows up. His visits become few and far between and he loses his affection for the natural world. He follows his lineage into the field of logging; therefore he must choose between protecting or slaughtering his beloved family of trees. Under Review: Katahdin tells the heart-wrenching story of our evolving relationship with trees.</p>

H₂o: Molekula, Která Nás Stvořila (Epizoda 1 – Puls) H₂o: The Molecule That Made Us (Episode One – Pulse)

Nicolas Brown Alex Tate

<p>The first episode of the popular-science miniseries invites us on an adventure to seek answers about the origin of water on our planet and its crucial role in life on Earth. Consisting of five chapters, the episode encourages us to perceive and use the basic building block of our world in a more sensible way. However, it also introduces us to die-hard fans of water, unraveling the mysteries of its origin and the fundamental principles of its behavior. It reveals the inherent order and systematic relationship of this liquid with other organic species&mdash;an interconnection that transcends human understanding. This three-part bildungsroman presents H₂O as a hero whose life cycle is not constrained by the limits of civilizations or the increasingly sophisticated efforts to control and eliminate it.</p>

Rewilding Honeybees

Cameron Nielsen

<p>Honeybees, who are essential for agricultural success, are in dire need of new living conditions. Beekeepers lose 40 to 50 percent of their colonies each year, but this is not the case in the wild, where bees exist in healthier, happier conditions. Conservationist Michael Thiele is &ldquo;re-wilding&rdquo; honeybees &mdash; introducing swarms to habitats more conducive to the instinctive preferences that allow them to thrive.</p>

The Return

Marina Dodis

<p>Largely unnoticed amidst vehicle traffic, industrial sites and construction, wild salmon are returning to their ancient spawning grounds in the city of Vancouver. After 80 years, people can now witness the autumn spectacle of these powerful swimmers fighting to reach the streams they hatched in. Filmed over many years, &quot;The Return&quot; takes us into enclaves of wilderness within the city.</p>

Izembek

Gerrit Vyn

<p>For half a century, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska has been recognized for the ecological value of its unique wetlands and their importance to migratory birds. It is a spectacular habitat of bears, salmon, and walrus, containing both volcanoes and glaciers. Yet there has been pressure for nearly four decades to build a road through Izembek&rsquo;s federally designated wilderness.</p>

Nest 38

Tegan Good

<p>A pair of Banded Dotterels--small plovers native to New Zealand--attempt to defy the odds to raise their chicks on a surprisingly hostile beach, as their self-appointed guardian Ailsa looks on.</p>

The Big Reset - Worldviews

Malcolm Sutherland

<p>Geneticist and environmentalist David Suzuki celebrates the pleasure of knowing we humans are squishy organic material in an inter-related web of life&mdash;and we&rsquo;d better not forget that! An invitation to go out and play and learn from the real world.<br /> &nbsp;</p>

Secrets of the Salamanders

Madelaine Westwood

<p>An unlikely creature could be set to pass its amazing ablity on to humans, the secret of regeneration. We just have to save the last 100 of them to make this a reality.</p>

Life on the Rocks

George Pretty

<p>At the mouth of the Firth of Forth in Scotland sits an ancient volcanic island, home to the world&rsquo;s largest colony of gannets: the Bass Rock. For three years in the 1960s, June Nelson and her late husband Bryan called it their home, studying the birds and their behaviors. June reflects upon their time together and the catastrophic loss of global seabird populations in the years since.</p>

River's End

Jacob Morrison

<p>A documentary that reveals California&rsquo;s complex struggle over who gets fresh water, and shows how moneyed interests game the system. Constant battling over uncertain water supplies heralds an impending crisis&mdash;not just in California, but around the world.</p>

The Condor & The Eagle (2019)

Clement Guerra Sophie Guerra

<p>Four Indigenous environmental leaders embark on a transcontinental journey from Canada to the Amazon, uniting North and South American communities in the fight for climate justice. Along the way, they experience a spiritual awakening and strengthen their resistance to colonialism and environmental exploitation.</p>

Sea Lions: Life by A Whisker

Amelia McCarten Paul Phelan

<p>Between a cliff face and an ocean lives one of the rarest marine mammals on the planet, the Australian sea lion, and one very special pup named Otto. Embark on an epic quest from the wilderness of the Great Australian Bight to the lush kelp forests off the Californian coast. Encounter humpback whales, great white sharks, and one Marine Park Ranger on a mission to save a species.</p>

Tabira

Aner Etxebarria Moral

<p>Veterinarian Alfonso Ba&ntilde;eres has treated hundreds of birds of prey and, but among all of them one stands out. Tabira tells the story of a family of veterinarians who adopted a chick that nobody wanted, and of the unexpected arrival of a raptor that ended up becoming both a daughter and a high-flying sister, changing their lives forever.</p>

Secrets of the Whales Episode 1: Orca Dynasty

Brian Armstrong Andy Mitchell

<p>Orcas across the globe use unique strategies to stay on top of the food chain. Patagonia&#39;s whales catch sea lions off the beach, New Zealand&#39;s orcas root out hidden stingrays, and Norway&#39;s sea giants master the tail slap. Witness five powerful orca matriarchs pass down their family hunting traditions to the next generation, preserving their way of life before the customs are lost forever.</p>

The Witness is a Whale

Nick Dean Cheryl Dean

<p>Recently uncovered Soviet whaling reports reveal a startling truth: that whales once roamed the oceans in vastly greater numbers than has ever been estimated. This discovery has massive repercussions both for recent history and for the attempts to save these extraordinary mammals.</p>

Wild Window: Whales

Howard Hall

<p>Whales is one of five hour-long ambient videos created as part of the Wild Window Series. The video is intended as background art to be displayed on large high-resolution televisions. Whales includes three species: humpback whales, sperm whales, and blue whales. Wild Window: Whales will close the festival with an immersive installation of whales along the Clark Fork River. Walk by and experience Howard Hall&#39;s incredible underwater photography and sounds under the ocean. Please bring a mask and practice social distancing.</p>