In February and March, 2025, Wildscreen is taking some of their greatest hits of Wildscreen Festival on the road to share with new communities across the South West and beyond.
What a year! 2024 brought with it a whole host of inspiring new projects, events, partnerships and more to Wildscreen’s door, plus the return of some fan favourites. Join us as we look back on some of our top highlights…
12 finalists of Wildscreen ARK’s 2024 Youth Film and Photography Competition were celebrated at a special event, hosted by Steve Backshall, during last month’s Wildscreen Festival 2024.
Wildscreen has revealed the 6 projects from African wildlife and environmental filmmakers to be pitched at Wildscreen Festival Nairobi next week.
Wild Pitch gives six filmmakers, born or living in Africa, the opportunity to pitch their nature-focussed film ideas to a panel of commissioners along with the chance to win cash prizes totalling $19,000. The live pitch jury includes Head of Natural History, BBC Commissioning – BBC, Sreya Biswas, Sr. Vice President of Program Development and Production at National Geographic Janet Vissering and Head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit Jonny Keeling and Loise Mwkali, TV Programming at Royal Media Services Limited.
Wild Pitch was introduced as part of the 40th anniversary edition of the Wildscreen Festival back in 2022 to enable anyone with a story to tell about the natural world to have the opportunity to pitch in front of the world’s key wildlife film and TV decision makers and win a cash prize to bring their project to life.
Over 80 pitches were entered into the competition by filmmakers born and living in Africa. The six selected projects are:
Between Two Worlds – Jigar Ganatra
As the modern world threatens to swallow their traditional way of life and their land, Hadza hunter-gatherer children Ng’uba and Nguilabe are fighting to preserve their tribe’s 50,000-year-old connection to nature. In their journey to find balance between two worlds, they are guided by Hadzabe cosmological myths about wildlife.
Kirima Kia Nyaga: House of God – Mary Wanjiku and Arnold Mwanjila
A 6-part limited documentary series that explores the rich cultural, geographic and ecological history of Mt. Kenya and the communities that live and have lived in its shadow, interrogating the current human and climate challenges in a mix of live-action documentary and animation.
Buoyant: A Turtle Tale – Devin Trull and Trishala Naidu
Takes us on a remarkable journey with Bob, a resilient green turtle. Through his story, we rediscover our humanity, witness the immense power of human compassion, and confront the urgent reality of plastic pollution’s devastating impact on our oceans
Matata and Friends on Safari – Anthony Onyango and Fedelis Kyalo
Wildlife, climate change and environmental conservation show dedicated to educating the present and future generations about the importance of conservation.
Where Will The Elephants Go? – Feisal Malik
From climate change and environmental destruction, Mt. Kilimanjaro’s glaciers melt into Amboseli National Park’s swamps. New permanent lakes have formed, forcing Elephants out of the park; but is there land available outside the park? Can we create a win-win situation; saving the last open spaces and Elephant migratory routes?
Ūūndūire: The Balance We Seek – Wambui Wachira and Manu Akatsa
Embark on the captivating and transformative journey of “Ūūndūire: The Balance We Seek,” where nature, culture, and mental wellness converge. Follow a curious millennial as she leaves behind the hustle of Nairobi to immerse herself in the wilderness, uncovering resilience, interconnectedness, and inner harmony along the way. Disenchanted with the fast-paced modern world and yearning for a deeper connection with herself, she embarks on a transformative pilgrimage to discover her personal legend.
The six finalists’ projects will be pitched as part of the inaugural Wildscreen Festival Nairobi which brings together key players in the African natural world film and TV industry, alongside global industry players. The event takes place at the Alliance Française, Nairobi, from 30th June, with the announced following the live pitching session on 1 July. The sold-out event is the first time the Wildscreen Festival will take place on the African continent.
Wild Pitch is supported by National Geographic.
Find out more about Wildscreen Festival Nairobi here.
