Wildlife Direct, Kenya Wildlife Service, BBC Studios Natural History Unit and Wildscreen have formed a unique partnership to conceive and deliver the brand new Wildscreen Festival Nairobi.
Billed as Wildscreen’s first-ever African festival, the event takes place in the Kenyan capital at Alliance Française, Nairobi on 30th June – 1st July 2023 with BBC Studios Natural History Unit as Headline Sponsor.
As one of the most actively filmed parts of the natural world, this unique international collaboration between not-for-profit conservation organizations and wildlife filmmaking industry partners will spotlight the continent’s thriving, creative and unique stories, and celebrate the emergence of Kenya as an internationally significant global film hub whilst featuring leading native storytellers and filmmakers, providing networking, commissioning, and career opportunities.
It is the first time that all these organizations have collectively worked together, creating a
unique collaboration with an intended collective impact. Nairobi is the first from the Wildscreen Festival 2022 Global Hubs programme to progress and evolve in hosting its own event, which mirrors the ambition and vision of the partners.
The festival will be hosted by Jahawi Bertolli, an award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer and iLCP Associate Fellow, who will bring his experience of growing up in Kenya and his passion for natural world storytelling. In a headline interview, Kartiki Gonsalves, the first ever Indian Film Director to win an Academy Award for her debut short documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, will speak with Dr. Paula Kahumbu, CEO of WildlifeDirect and Presenter of the National Geographic series ‘The Secrets of the
Elephants’.
CEO at WildlifeDirect, Dr Paula Kahumbu, said: “Kenya is renowned for its stunning natural landscapes, wildlife and iconic destinations which offer a wealth of opportunities for filmmakers. The Wildscreen Festival is a launchpad for accelerating the wildlife filmmaking industry in Africa which will positively impact our economies and nature conservation.”
Dr. Erustus Kanga, Ag. Director General, Kenya Wildlife Service, said: “We stand at the threshold of a shared journey, united in our commitment to protect and preserve our magnificent Kenya Parks and the planet as a whole. Through our partnership with Wildscreen, we will harness the power of storytelling, film, and innovation to inspire
global communities and drive lasting positive change in environmental conservation. Together, we will raise our voices, tell compelling stories, and mobilize others to join us in
this vital mission of conserving wildlife for posterity. With dedication, collaboration, and a
steadfast belief in our ability to overcome challenges, we will ensure a sustainable and
thriving future for wildlife and humanity alike.”
Timothy Owase, CEO of Kenya Film Commission, said: “The Commission would like to thank the festival organizers for recognizing Africa’s contribution to the practice of wildlife filmmaking. The continent, and Kenya specifically, has over the years provided producers with picturesque locations teaming with unique wildlife and we as a country are glad that this festival has come home. We look forward to engaging further to ensure the growth of the sector.”
Lucie Muir, CEO of Wildscreen, said: “This is an exciting venture and one that is borne out of true collaboration to showcase the groundbreaking stories and storytellers from across the continent. The talent pool is rich, and we hope to help strengthen Kenya’s already high standing as the leading wildlife filming destination in Africa. The opportunities for our industry are unreal organizers careers as well as creativity and collectively support Africa’s wildlife storytelling economy.”
Jonny Keeling, Head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, said: “We are incredibly excited to be Headline Sponsor of Wildscreen Nairobi which will celebrate and recognize the hugely significant role of African storytellers in the world of wildlife filmmaking. This unique collaboration will bring together programme makers from across the African continent with the wider production community like never before, creating a forum to share learnings, explore new opportunities and to network.”
The Nairobi event will host headline session, Wild Pitch, supported by National Geographic, in which six emerging or established filmmakers born or living in Africa will be selected to pitch their film idea to a panel of international commissioners and have the chance to win a cash prize to help fund their creation.
The expert panel will include Janet Han Vissering, Sr. Vice President, Program Development and Production at National Geographic and Head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Jonny Keeling. In addition, the festival will also shortly announce a bursary programme, supporting two emerging Kenyan-based filmmakers and two rest of Africa filmmakers to attend the event.
The festival programme is being curated with the support of a Festival Advisory Board,
which includes Paula Kahumbu, CEO WildlifeDirect; Michael Masheti, Production and
Liaison Officer Kenya Film Commission; Nashipae Orumoy, Director Strategic
Communications, African Wildlife Foundation; Caroline Cox, Production Executive, BBC
Studios Natural History Unit; Janet Han Vissering, SVP Development and Production at Nat Geo Content; Sreya Biswas, Head of Natural History, BBC Commissioning; Chloe Sarosh, Executive Producer, Wildstar Films; Jeff Wilson, Director, Silverback Films; and Asif Choudhury, Deputy Permanent Representative UNEP and UNHabitat and the British High Commission, Nairobi.
Tickets are available now at: https://events.wildscreen.org/products/wildscreen-festival-nairobi