Wildscreen Festival Botswana

12 – 13 June 2025

Building on the success of our Wildscreen Festival Tanzania 2024 and Wildscreen Festival Nairobi 2023, in June 2025 Wildscreen Festival is coming to Maun, Botswana with BBC Studios Natural History Unit as Headline Sponsor and Botswana Ignite as in-country partner.

Celebrating one of the most actively filmed parts of our natural world, Wildscreen Festival Botswana is open to everyone, both established and aspiring African filmmakers and worldwide industry professionals.

Venue: Cresta Maun Hotel

 

Why Botswana?

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Only 4% of Wildscreen Festival delegates were from African Countries.

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Over 18% of our 2024 Film Award submissions, feature African Wildlife.

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Yet only 5% are made in Africa.

Our Aims -

  • Celebrate the role of Botswana 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

Our Programme

The Wildscreen Festival Botswana Programme will focus 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

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! 

Discover our Passes

Book your tickets today and join us for a packed two-day programme full of headline speakers, panel sessions, networking and film screenings.

Hybrid Passes

Any questions? Check out our Festival FAQs or contact us at [email protected]. Full Terms & Conditions can be found here.

What's Included?

Full Pass

Join us in Botswana for a full two-day programme that will speak to our four content pillars: Craft, Business, Talent and Impact. This pass includes:

  • Full Access to Wildscreen Festival Botswana 12 June – 13 June 2025
  • Talks, panels, sessions, screenings
  • Networking 
  • Mentorship programme
  • Lunch, tea and coffee breaks 

WildPitch

Applications are now open for WildPitch Botswana! Win a share of the £9k prize pot!
 
Enter your film idea by the 10th April to be in with a chance of pitching your dream project LIVE at Wildscreen Festival Botswana 2025 to top industry experts!
 
WildPitch is open to new or established filmmakers born and living in Africa.
 
Applicants must be live ticket holders to Wildscreen Festival Botswana to be eligible.
 

Deadline: Thursday 10th April, 1pm CAT

Bursaries

Our Bursary Scheme aims to nurture talent in the Wildlife Film and TV industry by providing full and part funded access to Wildscreen Festival Botswana 2025. 

Click below to check out the eligibility criteria and apply.

Applications close 12pm CAT, Thursday 20th March.

Work with us

We’re looking for a dynamic, pro-active and energetic Event Assistant, to join our small and ambitious team in delivering the Festival. 

If you are passionate about delivering brilliant, inclusive and impactful events,  and believe in the power of visual storytelling to engage different audiences with the beauty and fragility of our natural world check out the job description below and apply.

This opportunity is only open to indigenous Batswana aged over 18 years.

Deadline: 12pm CAT, Tuesday 25th March

Volunteering

Volunteering applications now open for Wildscreen Festival Botswana! 
 
We’re looking for friendly, enthusiastic and committed individuals to join the Wildscreen team to help to deliver the event. 
 

As a Wildscreen Festival Botswana 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 Botswana branded t-shirt 
  • In-person volunteers will receive 1 meal per shift (Day Shift) 
Deadline to apply: [INSERT DATE]

Speakers

Introducing the outstanding speakers at Wildscreen Festival Botswana, all with important stories to be heard!

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Full Name
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Meet our Festival Advisory Board

Our festival is curated by representatives from the global natural history film and TV industry, conservation organisations and African wildlife storytellers.

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Festival Information

Wildscreen Festival Botswana will be held over 2 days, from 12 – 13 June 2025.

A list of recommendations of the best travel routes will be published here in the coming weeks.

Requests to transfer your ticket to an alternative person must be made in writing to [email protected] by the 30th May 2025. Such requests shall be approved or denied by Wildscreen in its sole discretion and a fee may be charged.

Yes, applications for bursary places, which are available to African storytellers born and living in Africa, are currently open. Applications close 12pm CAT, Thursday 20th March 2025.

No, tickets must be purchased in advance due to health and safety and materials provisions.

Tickets can be refunded or returned up to 30 days before the event. After this refunds/returns will not be given unless the event / screening is cancelled, moved to another date.

During the standard ticket pricing period, a special concession rate will be available at a massive 50% discount from the full pass price, to welcome an even wider audience to our Festival.

You are eligible for this rate if you fall under one of these categories:

· Under 25 years old

· Student in full-time education

· Unemployed (for UK delegates, this is available only to those in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance)

· Individuals who identify as disabled.

Please be prepared to provide proof of eligibility if requested. If you are unsure, please email the team at [email protected].

Everyone is welcome at Wildscreen Festival Botswana. Our team is striving to make sure our event is as accessible and inclusive as possible. More information to follow.

We recommend staying at the hotel where the event is being held, the Cresta Maun Hotel. We will be updating and expanding our list of hotel and hostel recommendations that are close to the venue in the coming weeks. 

Yes, we love welcoming volunteers, and believe it is a great experience for all involved. We will advertise volunteer roles, covering a wide range of duties, closer to the event. All applicants must be available for work from Thursday 12th June to Friday 13th June.  

You should be aware that you may be photographed or filmed at times throughout the event and the recordings may be distributed.

Visitors must be aged 18 or over to attend Wildscreen Events. We reserve the right to seek confirmation of age if we consider it necessary and you agree to provide such proof of identity and age as we consider reasonably necessary from time to time.

Registration includes important Delegate Updates which we will send you via email as well as subscription to our year-round e-news. Delegate updates contain vital information about accessing the Festival in Botswana. Should you not wish to receive this information, or our year-round e-news, please click on unsubscribe at the bottom of the last email received. We will never share your email or personal details with anyone else without your consent.

We will always respect your privacy and any personal communication between you and ourselves.

If you can't find the answer on our FAQ, don’t hesitate to ask us.

Stay up to date

Keep up to date with the latest news and announcements by joining the Wildscreen Festival Botswana 2025 whats app group. Click the button below to join.

Festival Partners

Headline Sponsor:

Partners:

Major Sponsors:

Travel Partner: