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.

Call for Entries – Wildscreen Festival 2024

Wildscreen Festival 2024 is now calling for entries for our world-renowned Panda Awards and Official Selection film competitions. 

Panda Awards

The world-renowned ‘Green Oscars’ of the natural history industry recognise the very best in the craft of wildlife filmmaking across 14 categories, selected by juries of industry experts across the globe.

This year’s Awards will comprise two new categories, the first being a Special Recognition Award for Field Craft, which will highlight the critical role of local in-country field crew within the natural history genre. Nominated and judged by industry peers, the award will celebrate individuals such as field guides, drivers and local conservationists who have made a significant contribution to the industry spanning a number of years and productions.    

In addition, there will be a Children’s Award recognising the importance of connecting younger generations with nature. This category is sponsored by Wildscreen ARK, our new online nature hub for young people, which launches in February.

Lucie Muir, CEO of Wildscreen, said: “Since 1982, the Panda Awards have celebrated the human endeavour, commitment and unique skill that it takes to connect nature’s stories with global audiences. Biodiversity loss and climate change are the greatest environmental crises of our time, with the documentary genre never being more important or needed.” 

The 2024 competition comprises 14 categories, with all films nominated across the 14 categories being eligible for the Golden Panda Award, with previous winners including My Garden of a Thousand Bees (2022) and My Octopus Teacher (2020). Nominees will be announced in the Summer, with the winners announced at the Wildscreen Panda Awards Ceremony, held in Bristol on October 17th 2024.  

Full details on categories and rules can be found on our Panda Awards page or on our submission portal at FilmFreeway.

Wildscreen Festival Official Selection  

Now in its third year, the Official Selection competition acts as a global launchpad for new voices, original stories and vital messages.

The 2022 edition featured 32 productions ranging from feature-films, shorts and immersive productions and originating from 16 countries. Over 50% of the Directors identified as an underrepresented group in the industry, aligning with Wildscreen’s mission to democratise the creation of and access to nature’s stories by amplifying voices of marginalised storytellers. 

Curated by a team of international programmers, the stories will be screened as part of the Wildscreen Festival in October.

Full details on categories and rules can be found on our Official Selection page or via our submission portal at FilmFreeway.

For more details on Wildscreen Festival 2024 visit our FAQs.