Official
Selection 2026
A global launchpad for authentic storytellers and original stories about the natural world from across the globe.
About the Selection
Introduced in 2020, our Official Selection showcases creative and bold stories that spark positive and restorative action for our natural world, acting as a global launchpad for new and diverse voices. From short and feature films to extended reality productions, the Official Selection platforms new voices, original stories and vital messages about nature.
Our truly international selection is curated by a diverse team of experienced international film festival Programmers.
The Official Selection is separate from the Panda Awards, our industry and craft-focused film competition. Explore the groundbreaking films that made into the Official Selection back in 2024 here.
Apply to be an Official Selection Programmer
Are you passionate about discovering and platforming original stories about the natural world from across the globe? Wildscreen Festival is looking for a new cohort of Programmers for the Wildscreen Official Selection Programme 2026!
Contract: Freelance, fixed-term between 6 July–14 August 2026.
Location: Fully remote. This role is deliverables-based with flexible working hours across the contract period. The Programmer is expected to complete all viewing, meetings and curatorial responsibilities within agreed deadlines
Fee: £1,000
Deadline to apply: Monday 6 July 2026, 23:59 BST
Trophies
Were you selected or an award winner for our 2022 Official Selection? Order duplicate certificates and trophies for the rest of your team before Fri 28 Oct.
☆ Film Screenings
After a two year hiatus, we’re excited to be hosting award-winning screenings in unique Bristol venues.
With world premieres on the cards, don’t miss this opportunity to watch original stories and participate in Director Q&As.
The screenings between 10-15 October are supported by the BFI, awarding funds from The National Lottery
Submitting Your Film
Submissions to Wildscreen’s 2026 Official Selection can be made via FilmFreeway here until 13th May 2026.
Before submitting you work, please review our competition Rules & Guidelines for more information about what we are looking for and eligibility criteria.
Our Official Selection is split into two categories: short films, where we accept any film under 20 minutes or under including credits, including immersive technologies (VR / AR), and Mid-length & Feature films, where we encourage any submitters who’s work clocks in over the 20 minute mark.
In 2026 we are on the lookout for stories reflecting one or more of the following:
– Authentic, Indigenous & Underrepresented Voices
– Biodiversity & Climate Change
– Interrelationships between Humans and Nature
– Next Generation of Stewards and Storytellers
– Solutions & Impact
Preference is given by programmers to World, European, or UK Premieres and/or productions created by in-country talent around native wildlife and non-broadcast productions.
Special Awards
As part of our Official Selection, three special awards are also granted to outstanding productions which go out of their way to impress our programmers and audience.
These are:
- Programmer Prize – £2,000 – films considered for this are required to have their World, International, European or UK premieres at the Wildscreen Festival
- Audience Prize – £1,000 – this award is voted for by the Wildscreen Festival audience, recognising the Production that receives the highest audience vote during the industry and public programme
- Sustainable Merit – recognises a production that has committed to innovative sustainable practices to reduce the environmental impact of a production
Reasons to Enter
Successful submissions to the Wildscreen Official Selection will receive:
- Screening as part of the the Public Screening Programme at Wildscreen Festival 2026
- x1 Wildscreen Festival 2026 Industry Pass
- Selected films will be presented with a laurel, certificate and trophy at the Wildscreen Festival 2026
- Inclusion in the Wildscreen Festival Online Film Library
- Consideration to feature in Wildscreen’s year-round programme of UK and International screening programmes via us and our partners
Key Dates
- 24th February 2026, 12:00 GMT – Early Bird Deadline
- 16th April 2026, 12:00 BST – Regular Deadline
- 13th May 2026, 23:59 BST – Late Deadline
- Mid August 2026 – Official Selection Announced
- 17-22 October – Screening Programme as part of public screeing programme at Wildscreen Festival 2026
For more information see our Festival FAQs.
If you have any questions, please contact us at: [email protected]
Submitting Your Film
Submitting your film for consideration in Wildscreen’s 2024 Official Selection has never been simpler.
Now accepting submissions exclusively through FilmFreeway, our Earlybird submission discount window is now open, and will remain open till February 23rd.
About The Official Selection
Our Official Selection is split into two categories: short films, where we accept any film under 30 minutes, including immersive technologies (VR / AR), and Mid-length & Feature films, where we encourage any submitters who’s work clocks in over the 30 minute mark.
In 2024 we are on the lookout for stories reflecting one or more of the following:
• Authentic, Indigenous & Underrepresented Voices
• Biodiversity & Climate Change
• Interrelationships between Humans and Nature
• Next Generation of Stewards and Storytellers
• Solutions & Impact
How To Enter
Before submitting your work, please review our competition Rules & Guidelines. You can also listen to them as an accessible audio recording.
All submissions can be made through our submissions portal on FilmFreeway.
Important Dates
- January 23rd – Earlybird Window Opens
- February 23rd – Regular Window Opens & Earlybird Window Shuts
- April 12th – Late Window Opens & Regular Window Shuts
- May 10th – Final deadline for entries
Special Award Recipients
As part of our Official Selection, three special awards are also granted to outstanding productions which go out of their way to impress our programmers and audience.
These are the Programmer Prize, The Audience Prize, and Sustainable Merit, with the recipients of the Programmer Prize and Audience Award receiving a cash prize.
The 2026 Selection
This year, Wildscreen highlighted 30 productions which told unique and original stories about our natural world created by authentic storytellers from 20 countries across the globe.
Special Award Recipients
As part of our Official Selection, three special awards are also granted to outstanding productions which go out of their way to impress our programmers and audience.
The recipients of the Programmer and Audience Prize’s receive a cash prize.
Programmer Prize:
Orca – Black & White Gold
Sarah Nörenberg
Austria
Audience Prize
#Hvaldimir, Conversation With A Spy Whale
Dir: Jerôme Delafosse, Fabrice Schnöller
Imagissime with Miluna Productions
France
Sustainable Merit:
Rave on for the Avon
Charlotte Sawyer
United Kingdom
Full Official Selection
Lupi Nostri (Our Wolves)
Samer Angelone
Switzerland, Italy
In The Path of Giants
Kirsty Wells, Fayed Khan
UK, Bangladesh
Stone Biter: Saving the Arctic Sea Forests
Ismaele Tortella
Norway
Let Our Mountains Live
Håvard Bustnes
Norway, Finland
Love Birds
Elliott Kennerson, Angel Morris
USA
Overburden
Sarita West
Germany, USA
Derek vs Derek
James Dawson
UK
Retorno De Las Ánimas (Arrival of Lost Souls)
Nicolas Diaz-Magaloni
Mexico
From Lassen, With Love
Maddy Rifka
USA
La Pietà
Rafa Molés, Pepe Andreu
Spain, Iceland, Lithuania
The Nut Farmer of Glastonbury
Elsa Kent, San Sutherland, Jack Tierney
UK
Lost For Words
Hannah Papacek Harper
France, UK
A Little Story About Forever
Max Romey
USA
Whispers in the Woods
Vincent Munier
France
Some Kind of Refuge
Alexandra Kern
USA
Amma, Do Giraffes Cry?
Kartikeya Saxena
Czech Republic
Supernature
Ed Sayers
UK
The Rift
Janire Najera and Matt Wright
UK, Zimbabwe
Orla
Marie Lukáčová
Czech Republic, Slovakia
Song of Behula
Akashdeep Banerjee
India
The Boys and the Bees
Arielle Knight
USA
I’ll Need to Leave for a Little While
Myles Storey
Malaysia, Vietnam
Wild East
Maia Wikler
USA
Spirit Animal
Ines von Bonhorst, Yuri Pirondi
Portugal, Canada, Italy
A Day on Earth
Paul Redman
South Africa
The Glacier Wedding
Amin Muhammad, Thomas Sawano
USA
La Mar
Jean Chapiro
Mexico
Now That We Are Sending You to The End
Blake Knecht
USA
SILA
Ciril Jazbec and Lucía Flórez
Slovenia
Nuisance Bear
Jack Weisman
USA, UK, Canada
Mother of the Forest ~ Curupira ~
Lea Hejn
United Kingdom
Boca Chica
Ái Vuong, Samuel Díaz Fernández
United States
Among The Wolves
Directors Tanguy Dumortier, Olivier LAR
France
Dahican
Boogs Rosales
Philippines
Flora, Fauna, Funga
Sam Sheline
United States
The Eagle With The Sunlit Eye
Ted Simpson
United Kingdom
Enjoy the Stories
Many of our Official Selection films are available on the Wildscreen Festival event platform.
Virtual Passes are still available to book to enjoy the film library until 16 December.
Our programmers
This year we assembled a diverse team of international programmers to curate our Official Selection. They curated our final selection of productions to showcase at the Festival.
Lucy Jane Mukerjee
Documentary Lab Director, Firelight Media
Lucy J. Mukerjee is a queer British-Indian cultural worker, dedicated to elevating the careers of underestimated storytellers, and leveraging the power of film to expand perspectives and shatter stereotypes. In 2023, Lucy became the Director of the Documentary Lab at Firelight Media, the premier destination for non-fiction cinema by and about communities of color, founded in 1998 by Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith.
Lucy’s 20+ years of industry experience include the roles of Director of Programming at Outfest and NewFest LGBTQ+ Film Festivals, and Senior Programmer at the Tribeca Festival. In 2019, alongside friends and colleagues from festivals worldwide, Lucy co-founded the Programmers Of Colour Collective, a global grassroots group of BIPOC film curators calling for transparency and accountability in the curatorial process.
Benn Wiebe
Owner/Executive Producer, HFP Productions
Benn is an Oscar Shortlisted and SXSW winning Producer who has championed natural storytelling across the creative landscape. Benn has created campaigns and helped convene initiatives for the United Nations in support of the UN Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, providing a unique expertise and understanding of global issues. Mobilizing people to impact social movement through stories is Benn’s personal mission.
Benn currently serves as the Executive Producer of HFP which runs film festivals across 13 countries. He is also a Mentor for SXSW, Creative UK, and for film schools including London Screen Academy, East London Arts & Music, and the National Film & Television School.
Chioma Onyenwe
Founder/Filmmaker, Raconteur Productions
Chioma Onyenwe is the founder of Raconteur Productions, an international film production company telling stories at the intersection of history, culture and identity. Her first narrative feature, 8 Bars & A Clef, was nominated for the 2016 AMAA, and her latest feature, ‘I do Not Come To You By Chance,’ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023 and won the Audience Choice Awards at the Africa International Film Festival 2023. She is a Creative Producer Indaba and EAVE fellow, a freelance film programmer, a deep sea diver, a burgeoning tennis player, and an avid swimmer.
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” I am thrilled to rejoin Wildscreen Programming team to celebrate earth’s beauty through film amidst challenging times.”
Wangechi Ngugi
Producer & Programmer
Wangechi Ngugi is a film producer, writer and curator based in Nairobi. With a deep belief in the transformative nature of storytelling, I strive to bring diverse narratives to the screen, amplifying voices and sparking meaningful conversations through the magic of film.
“Joining the Wildscreen Official Selection Programming Team this year presents an exciting opportunity to unveil nature’s cinematic marvels, celebrating its diversity in every frame. I’m thrilled to be part of this journey!”
Shaunak Sen
Director, All That Breathes
Shaunak Sen is an Academy award nominated filmmaker and writer based in Delhi. His film ‘All That Breathes’, received nominations at the 2023 Academy and BAFTA awards. The film won awards at Cannes, Sundance, BFI London, IDA and Cinema Eye, and 24 other film festivals. Cities of Sleep (2016), his first feature-length documentary, was shown at various major international film festivals and won 6 international awards.
Shaunak has received grants from Sundance, Tribeca, IDFA – Amsterdam amongst others. He has received the Pro Helvetia residency in Switzerland, the Sarai-CSDS grant, the Charles Wallace grant as visiting scholar at Cambridge University. Shaunak holds a PhD and has published in journals including Bioscope and Widescreen.
The pre-selectors
Our international team of pre-selectors are integral for analysing the high volume of submissions we received into our Official Selection. Their reviews created a shortlist of original productions which we then shared with our programmers.
Aaron Sandhu Assistant Producer – Silverback Films
Anne Weinhold Business Development & Fundraising Manager – Royal Entomological Society
Carole Larsen Documentary Editor
Charlotte Bird Documentary Producer – Oxford Sparks
Coralie Migne Ecology and Evolutionary Biology MA Student & Wildlife Photographer
Darren West Natural History Cinematographer
David Pokupec Researcher – University of Maribor
Deirdre Denali Rosenberg Conservation Photography & Outdoor Writer
Eleanor Hamilton Wildlife Camerawoman
Elisabeth M.S. Oakham Producer / Director – Silverback Films
Evelyn Smalley Runner – BBC Studios
Evie Brudenall Distribution and Sales Executive – Magic Light Pictures
Helena Vilaplana Carnerero Producer & Film Programmer
Honey Crespo Documentary Filmmaker & Lecturer – Liverpool Hope University
Indigo Korres Director – Scottish Queer International Film Festival
Jeremy Hogarth Director/Writer – JPH Productions
Jessica Reiss Wildlife Filmmaker
Joe Galuszka Composer
Lana Young Visual Content Producer – NIWA
Laura Pennafort Wildlife Camerawoman
Lorelai Jo-hsuan Lin Development Associate – TAEA
Marete Selvin Producer/Co-Founder – Meraki Africa
Marina Hui Assistant Producer – BBC Studios
Nick Lord Researcher – BBC Studios NHU
Omar Manjouneh Documentary Filmmaker
Paula Kahumbu Wildlife Presenter / Producer
Pedro Wallace Producer / Writer / Director – Dragón de Fuego Cine SAS
Sabine Probst Documentary Filmmaker & NGO Director – Seen Blue
Samreen Farooqui Creative Head, Video – Roundglass Sustain
Samuel Obae Videographer / Photographer
Sarah-Jane Walsh Producer / Director – Moral Coral Films
Tania Dorrity Consulting Producer, PD & Edit Producer
Tania Esteban Assistant Producer – Wildstar Films
Tom Land Researcher – Silverback Films
Varun Manavazhi Editor – Felis Creations
Yoko Seki Field Producer – Wildlife Warriors
Tom Land Researcher – Silverback Films
Varun Manavazhi Editor – Felis Creations
Share your Story
The Official Selection is part of Wildscreen Festival and will open call for entries again in January 2024.
Follow our page on FilmFreeway to receive updates.
Official Selection Sponsors
Official Selection Programme Headline Sponsors