Jackson Wild Unveils Media Awards Finalists

Jackson Wild has revealed the films selected as finalists for the 2022 Jackson Wild Media Awards, which celebrate excellence and innovation in nature, science and conservation storytelling.

This year’s competition saw over 600 film entries from 26 different countries competing for 24 content, craft, program and special jury awards, as well as the Grand Teton Award, recognizing the overall best film in competition. Finalists were selected by more than 150 international judges with expertise in natural-history filmmaking.

“This year’s judges have selected an outstanding slate of finalists, consisting of a multitude of perspectives and experiences from around the globe,” said Lisa Samford, executive director of Jackson Wild. “Personal, innovative and purpose-driven global stories inspire a deep connection to the species and places that surround us. Equally important, they amplify the urgency of our need to restore and protect our planet while the opportunity still exists.”

Sponsored by Love Nature, the animal behavior content category’s long-form finalists are Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story from Fin and Fur Films Productions; My Garden of a Thousand Bees from Passion Planet, The WNET Group and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios in association with Ammonite Films; The Mating Game from Silverback Films for BBC, Discovery and co-produced by NHK with bilibili and France Télévisions; and Titans of the Sea: A Family Affair from Les Films en Vrac and Label Bleu Production, in association with France Télévisions. The short-form finalists in the category are How Sperm Whales Learned to Outsmart their Hunters from Terra Mater Studios; How This Tracker Learned to Understand Gorilla Communication | #WildForAll from Freeborne Impact, Wild Space Productions, Higher Ground Productions and Netflix; and The Sea Turtle Arribada from Kindhumans, GoPro for a Cause and WILDCOAST.

Finalists for long-form projects in the ecosystem category are Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story from Fin and Fur Films Productions; Path of the Panther from Grizzly Creek Films, Wildpath and Common Pictures; and Wings Over Water, a Dorsey Pictures Film in association with Archipelago Films and SK Films and presented by the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and Audubon. Eco-Hack! from Speculative Films, The Secret Islands of the Everglades from PBS North Carolina and PBS Digital Studios and Want to Solve Wildfires and Drought? Leave it to Beavers! from PBS North Carolina, PBS Digital Studios are the short-form finalists.

In the conservation category, sponsored by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, long-form finalists include Earthbound from Ritual Arts, Amazing Owl and Hummingbirds Global; Eyes of the Orangutan from Terra Mater Factual Studios and Chris Scarffe Film and Photography; and The Territory from National Geographic Documentary Films, Protozoa Pictures, Passion Pictures, Real Lava, Documist and Associação Jupaú, in association with Time Studios and XTR Doc Society Climate Story Fund. The short-form finalists are 12 Cheetahs from Conservation Film Company for Cabela Family Foundation; Inside the Fight to Save an Ancient Forest and the Secrets it Holds from PBS North Carolina and PBS Digital Studios; sym-bee-o-sis from A Day’s Edge Productions and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios; and The Power of Pollinators, also from A Day’s Edge Productions and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios.

The Changing Planet category, sponsored by Marco Polo Film, has as its long-form finalists Arctic Drift, a NOVA Production by Wild Blue Media, UFA Show & Factual and Fremantle International for GBH; Carbon—The Unauthorised Biography from Genepool Productions and Handful of Films; Into the Ice from Hansen Og Pedersen and Kloos & Co. Nort; and Path of the Panther from Grizzly Creek Films, Wildpath and Common Pictures. Short-form films up for recognition include Adaptation: Coral Reefs of Vanuatu from Terra Carrère, PBS, Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) and The Front; Humanity Has Not Yet Failed (Ft. Greta Thunberg) from Moon Atlas, Crankbunny, New York Times and East Village Entertainment; Seagrass for Sea Change from Wild Elements Studios; and The Ghost Rainforest, an Earthrise Studio and Vivien Cumming co-production in association with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest

In the GBH-sponsored Human Planet category, long-form finalists are Patrick and the Whale from Terra Mater Studios; The Green Planet: Human Worlds from BBC Studios production for BBC, PBS, bilibili, ZDF, China Media Group CCTV9, France Télévisions and The Open University; and TIGER 24 from W Films LLC, The Tiger Fund LLC, Elevation Pictures. The short-form finalists include Bring the Salmon Home from Swiftwater Films, Herd, David Borish production with the Nunatsiavut Government, NunatuKavut Community Council and Torngat Wildlife Plants and Fisheries Secretariat; Kumu Niu from QuickActCasual Productions for The National Association of State Foresters; and Wild Potential from Wild Elements Studios.

Finalists were also revealed across Jackson Wild’s program categories and craft categories, as well as special jury recognitions and honorable mentions.

Determining the winners of the 2022 Jackson Wild Media Awards will be a final jury comprised of Hashem Al-Ghaili, a science communicator, filmmaker, VFX artist, and science fiction enthusiast who was born in Yemen; Christi Cooper, a Ph.D. neuroscientist, documentary filmmaker and Emmy Award-winning cinematographer; Yolanda Ncokotwana, a TV and film professional whose experience spans live productions, documentaries and scripted content; and Akanksha Sood Singh, who is at the forefront of natural-history filmmaking in India.

Winners will be announced and recognized at the Grand Teton Awards Gala during the Jackson Wild Summit at Vila Vita Pannonia in Burgenland, Austria, on September 29.