The festival wrapped with awards on the saturday closing ceremony, I missed attending but enjoyed the winning films very much, here they are revealed:

GRAND PRIX

OKAVANGO: RIVER OF DREAMS, SOUTH AFRICA

Directors: Dereck Joubert & Beverly Joubert

JURY: A film that employs a mesmerising pictorial language and executed with technical skill, containing memorable episodes and moments that stay with the viewer for a long time.

1ST PRIZE (NATURE)

NOMADS, MEXICO

Director: Emiliano Ruprah

JURY: The richness and variety of Mexican nature and the wealth of its species , the importance of migration and behaviour of animals has been shot beautifully and with great sensitivity. The film asks the viewer to think about the interrelatedness of world ecosystems and the necessity of their protection.
 

1ST PRIZE (MAN AND NATURE)

ANIMUS ANIMALIS. A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE, ANIMALS AND THINGS, LITHUANIA

Director: Aistė Žegulytė

JURY: A unique personal and intriguing view of homo sapiens as the only predator that hunts other animals in order to admire and share with other humans the dead bodies as trophies. 

BEST DIRECTOR (NATURE)

NOMADS, MEXICO

Director: Emiliano Ruprah

JURY: It’s an exciting visual story about the nomads in Mexico that invite the viewers to travel with them. The survival of different species is at stake everywhere in the world. The film’s educational message has been done with a masterful selection and a big heart. The film is also special because the mainly  Mexican crew cares deeply for the land they inhabit.

BEST DIRECTOR (MAN AND NATURE)

ANIMUS ANIMALIS. A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE, ANIMALS AND THINGS, LITHUANIA

Director: Aistė Žegulytė

JURY: Morbid, yet paradoxical themes are observed here with courage, with playful humour and with a strong sense of form, characteristic of a strong director with a unique style.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (NATURE)

GOING NUTS - TALES FROM THE SQUIRREL WORLD, GERMANY

Cinematographers: Yann Sochaczewski, Boas Schwarz, Henry M. Mix, Marlen Hundertmark, Pim Niesten, Gautam Pandey, Steve Romano, Matthew Kline

JURY: The film consists of a number of skilfully used camera angles and complicated techniques, allowing the viewers access to places generally hidden from the human eye.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (MAN AND NATURE)

NORTHERN WIND CAN BE WARM, RUSSIA

Cinematographer: Maly Pos

JURY: A spectacular view of the Arctic taiga in Yakutia and the life of one of the last hermits, a reindeer-herdsman, who regards the land stretching 300 kilometers around him, isolated from any kind of civilisation, as his home.

BEST EDITING (NATURE)

OKAVANGO: RIVER OF DREAMS, SOUTH AFRICA

Editing: Jolene van Antwerp

JURY: The scenes  are masterfully edited and form a story-telling whole.

BEST EDITING (MAN AND NATURE)

THE STORY OF PLASTIC, USA

Editing: Tony Hale, Brian Wilson

JURY: A well constructed and ruthlessly told uncomfortable story with a focus  on an alarming man-made world crisis.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (NATURE) 

THE MEADOW - PARADISE LOST, GERMANY

Director: Jan Haft

JURY: It’s a beautifully informative film close to all Estonians. It portrays meadows and its species that are still in existence. But for how long? We see what happens on the meadows and why it’s important to preserve them. The film broadens our horizons, provides exciting facts and shows both beauty and the drama of Nature.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (MAN AND NATURE) 

THE SEASON WHEN VELVET ANTLERS GET RIPE, RUSSIA

Director: Galina Leontieva

JURY: The director gives an honest observation of  the life of Altai marals and the people who look after them. It portrays animals and humans  as equals. The velvet antlers are used to make a “miracle cure”. It’s a raw laconic yet artistic overview of the processes of exploitation of animals and human beings taking place all over the world.

SPECIAL MENTION (NATURE) 

CANTABRIA - SPAIN'S MAGICAL MOUNTAINS, AUSTRIA

Director: Joaquin Gutiérrez Acha

JURY: The Cantabria mountains in Northern Spain form part of the European landscape. They show how majestic, mighty, and full of various species they are . The camera has caught the behaviour and survival of various animals during the different seasons of the year. The film shows not only the  exoticism but also the affinity of the Spanish landscape to all Europeans. 

SPECIAL MENTION (MAN AND NATURE)

THE BEAUTY OF BEING, ESTONIA

Director: Jaan Tootsen

JURY: This film depicts a man whose lifelong work has inspired so many Estonians to recognise the links between human nature and Nature more broadly defined.  The author has provided an opportunity to listen to deep silence.

SPECIAL PRIZES

ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD, MATSALU NATIONAL PARK
THE MEADOW - PARADISE LOST, GERMANY

Director: Jan Haft 

TALLINN ZOO
MT. SUSWA - LIFE IN A VOLCANO, GERMANY

Director: Oliver Oliver Goetzl

NGO MONDO
GENERATION GRETA, FRANCE

Directors: Simon Kesller & Johan Boulanger

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WITH A FILM AT THE FESTIVAL!