Tanzania: The next generation of wildlife filmmaking talent
Why Tanzania is one of the world’s richest sources of untapped potential when it comes to wildlife filmmaking.
Wildscreen festival
Nairobi 2023
Building on the success of our 2022 Festival Hub and with support from BBC Studios Natural History Unit, our 2-day Nairobi Festival, celebrated one of the most actively filmed parts of our natural world.
Bringing talent and storytellers from across the globe, to the heart of wildlife film.
“It really has felt like a significant moment for African wildlife storytelling. In a sense, it’s like a seismic shift, and things are now rumbling; the energy is there, and it’s now for us to take that energy and run with it and put it to good use. We have creative thinking; how can we get our films funded? What kind of platforms can we put them on? Let’s think outside of the box, let’s look at small-scale films because we’re all working for one goal, and if we can all do it together, then we’ll really make that difference.” – Festival Host, Jahawi Bertolli
Our Impact
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Over 200 festival attendees, including emerging talent, bursary recipients and industry figureheads.
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From 12 countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, UK, US, Botswana, France, Zambia, India, South Africa, Rwanda, Spain and Sierra Lione.
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54 Mentees matched and introduced to a mentor through our mentorship programme.
“It was great, amazing platform to showcase, learn, be inspired on the beauty and richness of our motherland, Africa and all the heritage within the continent, how we can work together to restore and conserve our heritage, also how to tell stories of our nature, culture etc on our own terms.”
“What an incredible event: lifting up voices, telling fresh stories, celebrating the game-changers, and making the industry a better and more inclusive place for everyone!”
“My experience at Wildscreen Nairobi was magical. It was a dream come true for me to be in the presence of such great talent and renowned conservationists, filmmakers and storytellers. I showed up curious and I left with lots of information, connections and ideas. The future is bright!”
Our Aims -
- Celebrate the role of Kenya and Africa in the International Wildlife Film Industry
- Elevate African Storytellers within the Global Wildlife Storytelling Industry, increasing representation within creative and editorial roles
- Support the pipeline of Indigenous Africa Storytelling Talent, providing Mentorship, Networking opportunities and demystifying the business of Wildlife Film
- Capacity-build and create and support the growing Industry Infrastructure within Africa
Why Nairobi?
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Only 4% of Wildscreen Festival delegates were from African Countries.
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Over 25% of our 2022 Film Award submissions, feature African Wildlife.
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Yet only 7% are made in Africa.
Our Programme
The Wildscreen Festival Nairobi Programme focused on 4 key elements:
Craft
Storytelling, Developing Techniques, Cinematography, Post-Production & Editing
Business
Networking, Collaborating, Co-Productions, Commissioning, Demystifying Distribution
Talent
Talent, EDI, Indigenous Communities
Impact
Conservation, Biodiversity, Climate Change
Speakers
We had many outstanding speakers at this year's Wildscreen Festival Nairobi, all with important stories to be heard!
Wild Pitch
After receiving over 80 applications, we are delighted to announce our 3 Wild Pitch Winners!
1st Place – Anthony Onyango and Fedelis Kyalo – Matata and Friends on Safari
2nd Place – $6,000 – Jigar Ganatra – Between Two Worlds
3rd Place – $3,000 – Trishala Naidu and Devin Trull – Buoyant: A Turtle Tale
A huge congratulations to all our winners and to everyone who pitched!
A special thank you to our judges Janet Han Vissering, Jonny Keeling, Sreya Biswas, Loise Makato and to our moderator Pauline Kyalo.
Wild Pitch is kindly made possible by National Geographic.
Meet our Festival Advisory Board
Our festival was curated by representatives from the global natural history film and TV industry, conservation organisations and African wildlife storytellers.
Asif Choudhury
Deputy Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN Habitat – British High Commission, Nairobi
Caroline Cox
Production Executive – BBC Studios Natural History Unit
Chloe Sarosh
Executive Producer – Wildstar Films Ltd
Fiona Tande
Founder, Director – Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival
Janet Han Vissering
SVP, Development & Production – National Geographic Channel
Jeff Wilson
Director – Silverback Films
Nashipae Orumoy
Director, Strategic Communications and Marketing – Africa Wildlife Foundation
Michael Masheti
Production and Liaison Officer – Kenya Film Commission
Dr Paula Kahumbu
CEO – WildlifeDirect
Pauline Kyalo
Assistant Film Producer – WildlifeDirect
Richard Madeley
Head of Sustainability – VI Rental
Sreya Biswas
Head of Natural History, BBC Commissioning – BBC
Volunteering
Volunteering applications now open for Wildscreen Festival Nairobi!
We’re looking for friendly, enthusiastic and committed individuals to join the Wildscreen team to help to deliver the event.
As a Wildscreen Festival Nairobi volunteer, you’ll gain hands-on event experience, develop news skills and meet people working in natural world storytelling.
As a thank you for volunteering, you will receive:
- A letter of reference
- A free ticket to the alternative day of the Festival that they are not volunteering on
- A Wildscreen Festival Nairobi branded t-shirt
- In-person volunteers will receive 1 meal per shift (Day Shift)
Deadline to apply: Thursday 1st June, 12 EAT
Programme suggestion box
We would love to hear from you! Alongside our fantastic Festival Advisory Board, we are welcoming suggestions from our creative audience for content that you would like to see and experience at our festival.
Please complete this short form here to share your programme content ideas!
What's new?
Check out the latest news, articles and insights from Wildscreen.
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