Wildscreen Festival
Encyclopedia
The Wildscreen Festival, an initiative of The Wildscreen
Trust is an international festival of film, television and digital media inspired by nature and natural places. It is staged every two years in Bristol, England – the city that is said to produce more hours of wildlife programming than anywhere else in the world.
The festival began in 1982 to encourage and reward excellence in wildlife film-making, and to provide a showcase for new productions. In 1994, it merged with a biennial wildlife symposium, previously held in the neighbouring city of Bath.
As a result of the merger, and other developments, the festival has grown both in scale and stature. Film screenings are now complemented by seminars, training events, demonstrations of equipment and a trade fair. In addition, the festival's ability to attract programme-makers, distributors and broadcasters from many different countries, means it is one of the foremost international market places for natural history productions, ideas, skills and services.
The centrepiece of each Wildscreen Festival is the awards ceremony, when the best new natural history productions, skills and talent compete for the Panda Awards, known informally as the "Green Oscars".
Another regular feature is the Sir Peter Scott Lecture – named in honour of the event's co-founder. For the lecture, a leading scientist or conservationist is invited to address delegates and guests on an issue of contemporary environmental concern. Recent Scott lecturers have included Sylvia Earle
, Jane Goodall
, Robert May
, and E.O. Wilson.
The festival is an initiative of The Wildscreen Trust, an educational charity
working globally to promote the conservation
of nature
and the public's appreciation of biodiversity
through wildlife imagery. Other related initiatives are ARKive
, a centralised collection of films and photographs of endangered species
which can be accessed free of charge by an award-winning website, and WildFilmHistory, an online archive of films, photographs, publications and memories related to the history and development of the wildlife film industry worldwide.
Wildscreen
Wildscreen is an educational charity based in Bristol, England, working globally to promote the conservation of nature, and the public’s appreciation of biodiversity, through wildlife imagery....
Trust is an international festival of film, television and digital media inspired by nature and natural places. It is staged every two years in Bristol, England – the city that is said to produce more hours of wildlife programming than anywhere else in the world.
The festival began in 1982 to encourage and reward excellence in wildlife film-making, and to provide a showcase for new productions. In 1994, it merged with a biennial wildlife symposium, previously held in the neighbouring city of Bath.
As a result of the merger, and other developments, the festival has grown both in scale and stature. Film screenings are now complemented by seminars, training events, demonstrations of equipment and a trade fair. In addition, the festival's ability to attract programme-makers, distributors and broadcasters from many different countries, means it is one of the foremost international market places for natural history productions, ideas, skills and services.
The centrepiece of each Wildscreen Festival is the awards ceremony, when the best new natural history productions, skills and talent compete for the Panda Awards, known informally as the "Green Oscars".
Another regular feature is the Sir Peter Scott Lecture – named in honour of the event's co-founder. For the lecture, a leading scientist or conservationist is invited to address delegates and guests on an issue of contemporary environmental concern. Recent Scott lecturers have included Sylvia Earle
Sylvia Earle
Sylvia Alice Earle is an American oceanographer. She was chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1990–1992. She is a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, sometimes called "Her Deepness" or "The Sturgeon General".-Education and career:Earle received a...
, Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
, Robert May
Robert May, Baron May of Oxford
Robert McCredie May, Baron May of Oxford, OM, AC, PRS is an Australian scientist who has been Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, President of the Royal Society, and a Professor at Sydney and Princeton. He now holds joint professorships at Oxford, and Imperial College London...
, and E.O. Wilson.
The festival is an initiative of The Wildscreen Trust, an educational charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
working globally to promote the conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
of nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and the public's appreciation of biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
through wildlife imagery. Other related initiatives are ARKive
ARKive
ARKive is a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery", which it does by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the world's species into a centralised digital archive. Its...
, a centralised collection of films and photographs of endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
which can be accessed free of charge by an award-winning website, and WildFilmHistory, an online archive of films, photographs, publications and memories related to the history and development of the wildlife film industry worldwide.