News archive

BBC Studios Natural History Unit Announced As Headline Sponsor for Wildscreen Festival 2024

The broadcaster is lending its support to the world’s biggest wildlife film festival.

Wildscreen accredited as Living Wage Employer

Wildscreen is now accredited as a Living Wage Employer.

Official Selection 2024 – Meet The Programmers

Meet the diverse team of programmers reviewing our international selection at Wildscreen Festival this year.

2018 Wildscreen Panda Award Winners Revealed

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 OceanBBC Studios – The Natural History Unit with The Open University and BBC America, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV9
 United Kingdom

CHILDREN’S AWARD

The Zoo – Poo Dunnit?BBC Studios
 United Kingdom

PANASONIC CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD (large budget)

Blue Planet II – One OceanBBC 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

PANASONIC CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD (small budget)

ChurchillStorm Films IncCanada

DOGHOUSE EDITING AWARD

One Strange Rock – GaspNutopia Ltd for National Geographic
 United Kingdom
 Editors: Doug Moxon & Brian Hovmand

ICON FILMS EMERGING TALENT AWARD

Mahmoud MansouriFor the film In the Realm of the Spider-tailed ViperWildlife Pictures InstituteIran

INNOVATION AWARD

One Strange Rock – HomeNutopia Ltd for National Geographic
 United Kingdom

TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS IMPACT AWARD (large budget)

The Last AnimalsAtlas 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)

Toad PeopleWilderness Committee
 Canada

MUSIC AWARD

One Strange Rock – GaspNutopia Ltd for National Geographic
 United Kingdom
 Music by: Daniel Pemberton

BBC STUDIOS PEOPLE AND NATURE AWARD

JaneNational Geographic Studios in association with Public Road Productions for National Geographic
 United States

ANIMAL FRIENDS PHOTO STORY AWARD

Rescuing the Night Gardeners –            Doug Gimesy, Australia

ANIMAL FRIENDS PHOTO STORY AWARD FOR EMERGING TALENT

High Rise Falcons – Luke Massey, United Kingdom

UWE POPULAR BROADCAST AWARD

RARE: Creatures of the Photo Ark – Episode 1A WGBH co-production with So World Media LLC in association with National Geographic Channels
 United States

PRESENTER AWARD

My CongoBBC Studios Natural World – a co-production of BBC and Thirteen Productions LLC in association with WNET
 United Kingdom
 Presented by: Vianet Djenguet

NHK SCIENCE AWARD

Naked Molerat – Nature’s Weirdest SuperheroTaglicht Media Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbHGermany

SCRIPT AWARD

Rise of the Warrior ApesKeo Films
 United Kingdom
 Script by: James Reed

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SERIES AWARD

Blue Planet IIBBC Studios – The Natural History Unit with The Open University and BBC America, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV9
 United Kingdom

NHNZ SHORT AWARD

M6NTHSEline Helena Film
 United Kingdom

FILMS AT 59 SOUND AWARD

Rise of the Warrior ApesKeo Films
 United Kingdom
 Sound by: Ben Peace, Tim Owens & Kate Hopkins

SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL THEATRICAL AWARD

The Serengeti RulesHHMI Tangled Bank Studios & Passion Planet
 United Kingdom / United States

WWF GOLDEN PANDA AWARD

Rise of the Warrior Apes                                    Keo Films                                                                               United Kingdom   CHRISTOPHER PARSONS’ OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Ellen Windemuth