Wildscreen Sets First Festival in Africa

Wildscreen has set plans for its first festival outside of the U.K., with Wildscreen Festival Nairobi slated to take place from June 30 to July 1.

The two-day event, sponsored by BBC Studios Natural History Unit, will feature African storytellers and filmmakers, as well as key global industry players, taking part in headline talks, panels, workshops, commissioning sessions and networking.

The event will be programmed with the support of a Festival Advisory Board, which includes Paula Kahumbu, CEO of WildlifeDirect; Caroline Cox, production executive for BBC Studios Natural History Unit; Janet Han Vissering, senior VP of development and production at Nat Geo Content; Sreya Biswas, head of natural history for BBC Commissioning; Nashipae Orumoy, director of strategic communications at the African Wildlife Foundation; Chloe Sarosh, executive producer at Wildstar Films; Jeff Wilson, director of Silverback Films; and Asif Choudhury, deputy permanent representative for UNEP and UNHabitat and the British High Commission in Nairobi; and Michael Masheti, production and liaison officer for the Kenya Film Commission.

The new annual event comes after Wildscreen’s most successful biannual global festival in October 2022, which saw 1,700 delegates from over 40 countries attend online or in-person in Bristol, U.K. WildScreen also piloted three global hubs in Nairobi, Cape Town and Bangalore last year.

“We are breaking new ground for the natural world filmmaking industry, bringing the focus of many documentaries back to the places they originate from,” said Lucie Muir, CEO of Wildscreen. “Giving the spotlight to African storytellers is long overdue. Teaming up with BBC Studios Natural History Unit and our other Kenyan-based partners who have a shared interest and passion means we are at the start of developing something very special that will result in a more supported talent pipeline, a more equitable industry and ultimately more extraordinary stories to be told.”

Jonny Keeling, head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Wildscreen on their first-ever African mini-festival. Supporting in-country filmmaking talent is key to building a more inclusive and sustainable filmmaking industry. This event promises to bring African filmmakers and the wider production community together like never before.”

WildlifeDirect CEO Kahumbu added, “Wildscreen Festival Nairobi has the potential to wake a sleeping giant. WildlifeDirect is so proud to be a key partner in realizing this dream.”