OFFICIAL AWARDS of the 22nd MATSALU NATURE FILM FESTIVAL

2024

Grand Prix

Lions of the Skeleton Coast

Director Will and Lianne Steenkamp

This captivating film is more than just a story about wild lions, it is a deeply moving story about the connection between man and nature. The film beautifully highlights the natural ability of animals to adapt to an ever-changing world where survival requires both physical and mental endurance. Lion researcher dr. Philip Stander's relationship with these amazing creatures is deeply personal. As a result of decades of research, he sees them not just as animals, but as family members, whose every struggle and joy is reflected in his own feelings. It is a masterfully told deeply universal story that highlights the adaptability of animals as the most powerful weapon for survival. It is an intimate journey where joy, sadness, hope and despair alternate. Human emotions are reflected in the gazes and body language of lions - from the pain of loss to the birth of a new life, from the joy of survival to the urgent need for adaptability in the face of a changing world. Lions of the Skeleton Coast is a deeply inspiring story of adaptability and perseverance, and a beautiful and moving reminder of life's beauty and pain.
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2024

Best Cinematography (Man and Nature)

Lions of the Skeleton Coast

Director Will and Lianne Steenkamp

Masterfully composed shots that highlight both the wild and harshly beautiful landscapes of the region as well as the film’s main characters – the lions. The skill of the camerawork is most evident in the intimate and close-up captures of the animals' behavior, offering the viewer a rare glimpse into the lions' struggle for survival in one of the world’s most unforgiving desert regions. The play of light and shadow on the desert dunes creates a poetic contrast, emphasizing the fragility of survival. Breathtaking aerial shots provide an overview of the vast and often desolate areas of the Skeleton Coast. Over the years of filming, the cinematographers have successfully captured both the power and vulnerability of the lions, blending the beauty and danger of nature into a single frame. With perfect timing and carefully thought-out camera angles, the film’s visuals take the viewer straight into the heart of the action, making the entire viewing experience highly immersive and enjoyable.
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2024

Estonian Fund for Nature Special Prize

Vertical Money

Director Martti Helde

Thank you for the courage to speak about the concerns of Estonian forests in an aesthetically sensitive cinematic language.
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2024

Best Editing (Man and Nature)

Grasshopper Republic

Director Daniel McCabe

The editing sets the overall rhythm of this cinéma vérité-style film, seamlessly blending the gorgeously precise and powerful soundtrack and masterfully composed visuals. Each sound is carefully placed to complement the visuals, creating an immersive atmosphere. Quick cuts generate tension, while slow shots of landscapes and grasshoppers evoke calm. The alternating macro shots of grasshoppers preparing for destruction and scenes of trappers’ struggles and farmers' fears create a tug-of-war with no clear winners. The film’s fluctuating pace mirrors grasshoppers’ swarms, reinforcing its universal message: destruction looms when humanity neglects its duties to nature and itself.
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2024

Best Editing (Nature)

Flowing Freely - In the River of Life

Director Uwe Müller

Rivers are one of the most endangered habitat types, where the decrease of biodiversity has been exceptionally rapid in the last few decades. At the same time, the awareness about the degraded state of European rivers is very low. In this film, the story in the visual language flows like a river, taking the viewer to the smallest inhabitants of the rivers, but also further away from river shores, stressing the long-reaching impact of rivers and streams to the land ecosystems. When in a good ecological state, rivers connect habitats and food webs. The skillful presentation of this message supports better protection of our flowing waters.
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2024

Special Mention (Nature)

A Cheetah's Pride - EP2: Struggle to Survive

Director Hansa Winshaw

A story that sticks with you and follows the viewer outside the movie theater. It is a story about a brave mother, who takes care of 9 children. It is also a story of a grandmother who takes in her grandchildren whom their mother abandoned. It is a story about a grown up daughter who comes back to help her injured mother. It is also a story of brothers and sisters, playmates, who stick together, no matter if they actually have the same mother or not. There is so much to recognize in animal family relations. This leads to the understanding that it does not matter if you are human or cheetah: family is family and love is love.
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2024

Special Mention (Man and Nature)

Magnifica: Passive Intruder

Director Ville Koskinen

A film that in a tragicomic and absurd way shows how everything unknown automatically seems to us nasty, intimidating, and dangerous. Using a brown mushy creature that suddenly appears in a lake near a Finnish summer cottage as an example, the director gives a remarkable generalization to how we often treat strangers who break into our familiar life routine. Without trying to understand the nature of the unknown, we just want to burn it down in order to get rid of it. Still remaining warmly human, the film shows the narrow-mindedness and fears of humans. The film uses a short duration to uncover many different layers of information, raising the tension with an intensity common to a horror movie ending with a brilliant ambivalent song.
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2024

Ministry of Climate Special Prize

Water Lost and Returned

Director Radek Plihal

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2024

Matsalu National Park Special Prize

My Sweden - A Changing Wilderness

Director Zoltán Török

The film showcases the Nordic wilderness of Sweden and its transformation over time through the eyes of renowned nature filmmaker Zoltan Török. The film has some connection to Matsalu, as several bird species shown in the film are shared with us. The film has a strong narrative and very epic shots, depicting unique moments in the lives of these species that ordinary people do not see. Such films encourage people to go into nature themselves, to experience it through hiking.
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2024

Best Director (Man and Nature)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Director Sofie Benoot

A film which stands out for its strongly unique and catchingly interesting author´s vision. From an extremely tiny yet disturbing detail in a human body begins a long intellectual-philosophical journey which starting from the Bible gives a close look into many important current problems leading up to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The experimental and eclectic visual language chosen by the author, using drones, webcam and a shaky handcam, serves the purpose of giving the viewer an idea about the human-nature relationship from the most unusual and fresh angles. Everything is connected to everything else but in the most unexpected way. The way the film is edited speaks volumes about a brave director's vision which does not let any common conventions of filmmaking stop its blooming.
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2024

Best Cinematography (Nature)

Welcome to the Forest - Mind the Gap

Director Jan Haft

In nature filmmaking, the camera operator plays an essential role: to be the eye of the audience. From the very beginning of the film, we can sense that the camera captures something unique from the soul of the deep forest. For the director and cinematographer of the film, the forest is a playground in which he has been growing up, learning and changing. The film itself is a well-crafted story about the gap in the forests we rarely consider. The film showcases the remarkable transformation of a planted forest into a rich ecosystem through natural and semi-natural disturbances. Life arises from death, and the local destruction of a man-made landscape is therefore not a disaster, but a prerequisite for the rebirth of natural biodiverse forest habitats. Beautiful cinematography, featuring highly professional time-lapses—which are a trademark of Jan Haft’s films—tell a visually stunning yet complex story.
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2024

Audience Award

At The Water´s Edge

Director Mirjam Matiisen

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2024

Special Jury Prize (Nature)

Vietnam´s Mysterious North

Director Heike Grebe, Johannes Berger, Michael Riegler, Stephan Krasser

The film unveils the mysteries, biodiversity, and dangers of a lesser-known region. We are taken on a journey to the different areas of Vietnam, where we encounter fascinating species that, unfortunately, are often threatened by direct and indirect human activity. We also witness the tireless efforts of conservationists in protecting this wildlife. Despite many challenges, there is reason to marvel at what has been preserved so far and remain optimistic about the survival of these unique habitats and species.
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2024

Tallinn Zoo Special Prize

Namibia's Natural Wonders - Little Heroes, big Hunters

Director Jens Westphalen / Thoralf Grospitz

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2024

Best Director (Nature)

Namibia's Natural Wonders - Little Heroes, big Hunters

Director Jens Westphalen / Thoralf Grospitz

The wildlife of South Africa is one of the most filmed regions in the world. Yet, the filmmakers have managed to uncover and present to the audience lesser-known aspects of well-known animal life, as well as to showcase fascinating creatures that often go unnoticed. As the film progresses at a comfortable pace, we witness the interactions between species and their environment and life networks. We often perceive human-like qualities in animals, which in reality are merely animalistic qualities within humans. One of the film's highlights is the poignant portrayal of the natural life cycle – the dialogue between life and death, as exemplified by elephants, which serves as a moving testament to our growing understanding that we have more similarities than differences. We are alike.
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2024

Special Jury Prize (Man and Nature)

A Call from the Wild

Director Asgeir Helgestad

Asgeir Helgestad's documentary is a stunningly intimate and powerful portrayal of the natural world in his home country of Norway. Through his lifelong lens, we witness the delicate balance of ecosystems, from the bees on his farm to the wild reindeer roaming the mountains and puffins at the ocean’s edge. Helgestad masterfully highlights both the beauty of nature and the urgent threats it faces due to human actions. This deeply personal narrative reminds us of our vital connection to the non-human world, capturing both the resilience and vulnerability of nature with grace and clarity.
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2024

Special Mention (Man and Nature)

La Macchina Fissa - Clark's Garden

Director Emilio Neri Tremolada

A film that is emoving within its stillness and unpretentiousness. We witness the flow of time in a former marsh drainage pump station, the birth and decay of plants, and above all, the relationship between humans and the flora and fauna around them. Following calm activities and poetic commentary of the sympathetic protagonist Clark Lawrence, the film invites us to observe our surroundings, take time, appreciate imperfection and the benefits of "goat chocolate."
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OFFICIAL AWARDS of the 21th MATSALU NATURE FILM FESTIVAL

Best Cinematography (Man and Nature)

A White Dream

Director Mathieu Le Lay

Despite the extreme journey the cinematographer has managed to capture the wild nature in its true beauty in a visually exciting and magical way.
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2023

Best Director (Nature)

Cactus Hotel

Director Yann Sochaczewski

The directors innovative and humorous approach to the subject has crafted an exciting story of complex co-existence in a challenging habitat. The jury was impressed by the bold and original storytelling.
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2023

Tallinn Zoo Special Prize

Cactus Hotel

Director Yann Sochaczewski

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2023

Special Jury Prize (Nature)

The Raven's Tale

Director Michael Schlamberger

An original and inventive take on the wildlife film genre that draws us into the fairytale world of a familiar landscape. The film tackled contemporary issues such as climate change and species loss, in a subtle but powerful way that would reach a broad audience, both young and old.
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2023

Matsalu National Park Special Prize

Return of the White-tailed Eagle

Director Jouni Hiltunen

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2023

Special Jury Prize (Man and Nature)

Mongolia, Valley of the Bears

Director Hamid Sardar

A good documentary in its truest sense. The film has many strong emotions and unexpected twists. It has a good main character, who stands with great passion for the wilderness of his homeland, fighting against illegal activity and seeking balance between different opinions.
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2023

Estonian Fund for Nature Special Prize

Where do frogs come from?

Director Hannes Rohtma

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2023

Audience Award

Where do frogs come from?

Director Hannes Rohtma

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2023

Special Mention (Man and Nature)

The Illusion of Abundance

Director Erika Gonzalez Ramirez & Matthieu Lietaert

A powerful investigative documentary that highlights the work of brave women who stand up for the environment, also protecting their land and our planet.
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2023

Grand Prix

New Pigs on the Block

Director Jimmy Kets

An exquisitely crafted story in which we, as the human and viewer, are forced to question our relation with animals whether they be wild or domestic. The films balance is achieved through a mastery of its form; it’s sound design, cinematography, and storytelling are outstanding. Despite the lack of a human narrator, the story is provocative, and through the animals perspective perhaps we learn something about ourselves.
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2023

Best Director (Man and Nature)

New Pigs on the Block

Director Jimmy Kets

A masterpiece of author cinema that offers the viewers a true artistic and emotionally touching experience. It shakes our world view and in addition to the animals the film tells a lot about us. It is a big story shot in a limited space.
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2023

Special Mention (Nature)

A Rhino's Life

Director Rosie Koch and Roland Gockel

An accomplished and beautifully crafted portrait of the surprisingly gentle side of one of our planets most threatened iconic species. Here we learn that big does not have to mean clumsy.
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2023

Best Editing (Nature)

Wolf

Director Cees van Kempen

A film that artfully combines music and the moving image to create an immersive and captivating cinematic experience. The rhythm of the storytelling balances both the beautiful orchestral score and the films cinematography, leaving space for their interplay. The film opens up the possibilities of sharing living space between an animal considered dangerous, and a human.
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2023

Ministry of Climate Special Prize

Wolf

Director Cees van Kempen

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2023

Best Cinematography (Nature)

Wolf

Director Cees van Kempen

The cinematographers have lensed the story in a manner that is consistently artistic, technically excellent, and that remains faithful to its subject matter.
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2023

OFFICIAL AWARDS of the 20th MATSALU NATURE FILM FESTIVAL

Best Editing (Nature)

The Elephant & the Termite

Director Mark Deeble, Victoria Stone

Jury: This film is a hugely impressive one. It is beautifully shot, of course, with so many brilliant wildlife moments, like the “pinball dung beetle” and an exquisite moment when a chameleon drinks a dew drop, all expertly captured but what we found was the most standout thing about the film was how these wonderfully diverse wildlife sequences were perfectly knitted together as the bigger story of elephant and termite unfolded. The great cinematography and myriad of stories covered here wouldn’t’ve been nearly as well realized, as emotional, or funny even had the editor not had an in-depth knowledge of all the species, their stories and how they are so intimately connected to the bigger picture/place ... Essentially, the film feels natural, well-paced, immersive, the stories expertly and wonderfully cut together, creating a web of life that seems whole. Feels right.
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2022

Special Mention (Nature)

Raccoons, survival Warriors

Director Emma Baus

Jury: We thought that this film was charming from the off. The “masked bandit” is a far more interesting and complex animal than might first be thought. With her intimate portrait of a raccoon family Emma Baus impressively manages to convey the world of this survivalist to a broad audience. The film puts you firmly on the side of the featured racoons, as they navigate the trials and tribulations of life, and other species, and could well do much for the pest-like reputation of these adorable-looking mammals, egg-farmers aside! Well, in North America anyway, where they are not an invasive species!
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2022

Tartu Nature House Special Prize

Superbirds - The Secret Life Of Tits

Director Yann Sochaczewski, Marlen Hundertmark

An award for a heartfelt, instructive and unadorned insight into the joys and sorrows of these birds dear to Estonians.
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2022

Best Director (Nature)

Waves Beneath The Water

Director Arthur de Bruin

Jury: A wonderful mix of wildlife stories expertly woven into the journey of a single eel, on her age-old journey from sea to freshwater domain and back, through man-made obstacles, one after another. The director clearly had passion and vision for this film. His expert understandings in the stories told in this film are evident throughout. The cinematography would’ve been hard to capture in these underwater river habitats, but the story flow is clean and told with fantastically clear underwater sequences, including a perfectly realized moment when the young eel bumps into a concrete wall. Along with the story of the struggles faced by the eel, there are strong, albeit very subtle, environmental messages expertly woven throughout the film. From people using water as a playground against a struggle for survival beneath the waves, to an image of fishing dropped in, a dog upsetting coots during playtime. Subtle but stark references. Those along with mentions of invasives. All tied together by excellent narration, which was funny in places, and a well put together soundtrack. Unobtrusive music, woven in with appropriate natural sounds, carrying the film along at the right pace. All in all, a stunning film, from start to finish, born out of passion, and it showed!
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2022

Special Jury Prize (Nature)

The Door was Open

Director Olivier Marin

Jury: This film was immediately recognised as a standout film. It was a very interesting look at how wildlife can embrace man-made landscapes as their home, but they are not safe even there. So it is like a double loss, first being pushed out of their natural habitat to make room for an artificial landscape, and then when humans desert it, the wildlife comes back and adjusts to the change, but then humans interfere again, tearing it all down, so the cycle has to start over. We loved the mix of animation, showing the ghostly past, mixed with minimal but powerful snippets of narration, but the story largely carried forward by the images, telling their own story, helped in no small amount by subtle, appropriate music and natural sounds. We all strongly felt that this film deserved to be recognised as a wonderful, well done and refreshingly unique film.
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2022

Best Cinematography (Nature)

Bee Wild!

Director Jan Haft

Jury: There were many films that had great cinematography in the competition this year and so this was a difficult call. Bee Wild pipped the others to the post however, due to its great variety of shots, including wide, expansive shots, intimate nest cameras, all the way down to perfect, immersive macro. And other techniques. ...use of tracking, slow-mo, timelapse, aerials, thermal etc. all working harmoniously together. All telling the story of where wild honeybees once were, and that maybe they will come back. If their challenges can be overcome.
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2022

Estonian Fund for Nature Special Prize

Duty of Care - The Climate Trials

Director Nic Balthazar

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2022

NGO Mondo Special Prize

Shepherds of the Earth

Director Iiris Härmä

Mondo works in 12 countries in the world to reduce global inequalities. For the third time at the festival, we present a special award to a film about climate change. This year we have chosen a film that tackles the topic of climate justice, but at the same time asks much broader ethical questions that we at Mondo need to ask in our work daily. Who knows what is best for a community? Who has the right to decide over land use when one needs to weigh between the traditional lifestyle and protection of rare species? With great sensitivity Iiris Härmä in her film covers the story of the nomadic Daasanach peoples in Kenya and the dilemmas that the researchers struggle with while cooperating with the community. There are no simple answers.
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2022

Matsalu National Park Special Prize

Kingdom of Fish Ep 3 - The Sea

Director Björn Tjärnberg

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2022

Matsalu National Park Special Prize

Kingdom of Fish Ep 2 - The Lake

Director Björn Tjärnberg

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2022

Matsalu National Park Special Prize

Kingdom of Fish Ep 1 - The River

Director Björn Tjärnberg

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2022

Special Jury Prize (Man and Nature)

Neighbourhood of Infinity

Director Mark Aitken

Jury: The best corona-time film. Featuring bird and human behavior. A meditative film that directs the attention of the viewer to minute details of our daily lives that can save one from isolation-induced insanity. Watching wildlife is like watching ourselves.
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2022

Grand Prix

Houbara

Director Fathollah Amiri, Nima Asgari

Jury: Iranian men in uniforms, chasing poor bedouin poachers with guns. Trapped birds sold to rich people in neighbouring countries. Women being kept out of sight and mentioned only once - as the presumed head of the criminal network. Houbara is an incredibly thought-provoking film. We were on the edge of our seats rooting for environmental workers to be able to put a stop to the awful persecution of this beautiful species. Making a detective-action nature film is a difficult task. Houbara definitely achieved it. The film is quite a journey, exciting and full of jeopardy, and involves passionate people. There’s human suffering on both sides, as the poachers feel the need to trap the birds due to poverty, and the wildlife protection unit despair at the treatment of the birds, and their endangerment. Wealthier Middle-Eastern countries are taking advantage of their poorer neighbors by exploiting their natural resources pretty much like the rest of us are doing with our planet’s resources and using them to our amusement without any regard to the consequences. This is a message that needs to be amplified, and that is what we hope this award will do.
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2022

Best Director (Man and Nature)

Houbara

Director Fathollah Amiri, Nima Asgari

Jury: It is not a beautiful film featuring charming wildlife stories - but it is one that inevitably needed to be made. It is not the easiest thing to make an investigative film in Iran anyway. The more important is the fact that such a film is made and that it has made it here to our audiences. The film does not provide us with conclusions, but leaves us with a heap of difficult, unanswered questions. What will happen to the houbaras that were confiscated from the smugglers? Will they manage to survive? What about the arrested poachers and their families? How could we possibly get the information about the range of devastation through to the rich people who buy these delicate birds in order to have them torn into pieces by (also imprisoned) falcons? When we buy petrol for our cars here, are we possibly also part of this miserable network of exploitation?
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2022

Best Editing (Man and Nature)

Life of a Mutt

Director Tanja Brzaković

Jury: An emotional film that challenges the definition of nature and human-animal co-dependence. Combining candid documentary material with playful hand-drawn animation and voiceover, the film crosses between genres, resulting in a kaleidoscopic story that is neatly pieced together. The film gives stray dogs a voice that so closely resonates with our deepest existential questions. Lost between urban and rural abandoned spaces, where they are close to humans, but far enough not to annoy them, the dogs in this film act out a dignifying fight for survival and belonging.
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2022

Special Mention (Man and Nature)

About the Forest

Director Peter Magnusson

Jury: This is a film on a topic that is also very current here in Estonia, where the situation is the same as the one featured in the film "About the Forest". The faults of global industrial forestry and timber processing manifest themselves in a similar manner throughout the world. Suffering is left to the locals - forest ecosystems, animals that depend on them, humans included, not to mention seemingly less charismatic species such as mushrooms in the soil.
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2022

Estonian Ministry of Environment Special Prize

The Great Swamp

Director Remek Meel

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2022

Audience Award

The Great Swamp

Director Remek Meel

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2022

Best Cinematography (Man and Nature)

The Great Swamp

Director Remek Meel

Jury: Great film that conveys the idea that we all belong to nature. The intimate and sensitive story also determined its visual style - no tricks or effects - that facilitated the core idea to shine through. Primeval nature and human nature in all their full beauty and toughness are effectively conveyed to the viewer.
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2022

Tallinna loomaaia Special Prize

The Great Swamp

Director Remek Meel

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2022

OFFICIAL AWARDS of the 19th MATSALU NATURE FILM FESTIVAL

Best Cinematography (Nature)

My Dragon River

Director Dagmar Hilfert-Rüppell, Georg Rüppell

"My Dragon River" stands out for the simplicity and for the fact that even with the more basic equipment it is possible to capture beautiful images – underwater shots with GoPro etc. Yet, the footage itself was well captured and refined the story. Also we enjoyed the beautiful close-up sequences of dragonflies in flight.
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2021

Special Jury Prize (Nature)

My Dragon River

Director Dagmar Hilfert-Rüppell, Georg Rüppell

It is a beautiful documentary and has captured the life of dragonflies very well through beautiful slow motion sequences. It gives a very good educational aspect and everyone can learn more about dragonflies. Nevertheless, there are many funny moments that will make the audience laugh.
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2021

Tartu Nature House Special Prize

Nature´s Nurseries

Director Jan Haft

An educational, clear and beautiful film about the continuity in the animal kingdom, the different ways of parental care and the balance that emerges from the points of contact between different species. Great stories of playing, learning and training of different species are very expressive. The film probably helps young viewers to appreciate the care of their parents and supports the knowledge that continuous learning to cope with life is not only important for humans, but is also very common in the animal kingdom.
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2021

Tallinn Zoo Special Prize

Pumas - Legends of the Ice Mountains EP 2: Rebirth

Director Dereck Joubert, Beverly Joubert

We would like to express our sincerest thanks to Dereck and Beverly Joubert for their stunning nature film "Pumas - Legends of the Ice Mountains". The film gave us a chance to journey into the secretive wilderness of Patagonia and follow the life of a puma family. A deeply moving, fascinating and enlightening experience in the mountains where not many will venture to.
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2021

Tallinn Zoo Special Prize

Pumas - Legends of the Ice Mountains EP 1: Birth

2021

Best Editing (Nature)

Leopard Legacy

Director Will Steenkamp, Lianne Steenkamp

"Leopard Legacy’s" edit was on point - sound design and music well balanced. Throughout the film there were many gems hidden inside the edit. For example the close-up sequence of the leopard's paw when walking and the next shot was the crane's leg. Also the seamless transition between two shots of the river raised the value of the edit.
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2021

Special Mention (Nature)

Leopard Legacy

Director Will Steenkamp, Lianne Steenkamp

In addition to superb storytelling and editing we point out masterful cinematography, especially moving shots of wildlife filmed with a zoom lens on a gimbal.
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2021

Best Director (Nature)

Wild Horses - A Tale from the Puszta

Director Zoltan Török

The story of endangered species of wild horses is the best told and wholesome, it focuses on one foal's life and her family. From the movie you can find funny as well tragic moments, which both engage the audience. Likewise the film shares moments from other wildlife, who live together on this landscape, giving an additional educational value.
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2021

Audience Award

Wild Horses - A Tale from the Puszta

Director Zoltan Török

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2021

NGO Mondo Special Prize

TripleF***

Director Simona Theoharova

The film has a truly global reach - climate activists and environmental problems are filmed on six continents and the film itself is made in collaboration of more than 30 film makers each in their locations to avoid flying of a single crew. If we could only keep that spirit of cooperation when we fight climate change! From Mondo's perspective, we also value that the film has given voice to both indigineus people as well as representatives of different generations. This is only the first episode of a five part series, we are excited to see how the story develops!
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2021

Special Mention (Man and Nature)

The Shamans´ Nightmare

Director Natalie Halla

The jury would like to turn your attention to the very strong and thorough anthropological work of this film. The director takes us to unique indigenous peoples in different parts of the world, and introduces their lifestyle and their fight for survival as well. Through her lens, she preserves what is close to being lost. The film brings out very clearly the close connection which people have with their environment and the delicate balance between them: if the natural living environment of a group of people perishes, the people connected to it are also doomed.
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2021

Special Jury Prize (Man and Nature)

Animals

Director Jonas Spriestersbach

The film has a good sense of humor and irony. The story is well-developed, many-layered and metaphoric. Characters are amusing and at the same time, though at a different angle, you feel the deep melancholy of their life.
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2021

Best Editing (Man and Nature)

Animals

Director Jonas Spriestersbach

A story told with elegance, style and precision that keeps the viewer in its grip from the first shot to the last. The result is a truly unexpected film carried by a deep sense of irony. Humorous and tragic at once, it turns the mirror on humans’ alienation from other species and quite possibly themselves.
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2021

Grand Prix

Earth: Muted

Director Mikael Kristersson, Åsa Ekman, Oscar Hedin

A great film tells more than any jury summary can tell in a few sentences. The Grand Prix of Matsalu FF 2021 goes to a very special film that grabs its viewer from the first shot, where we see treetops heavy with cherry blossoms. They are not surrounded by bees though, but instead being pollinated by an old Chinese couple with sticks. People doing the work of bees, is a stunning metaphor to the absurdity of being human - possessing the ability to dominate other species, in a system where domination itself inevitably means perdition. A beautiful and delicate reminder that one can not have their cake and eat it too, but that as a humankind, we’ll all stand eye to eye with our choices sooner rather than later.
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2021

Best Director (Man and Nature)

Earth: Muted

Director Mikael Kristersson, Åsa Ekman, Oscar Hedin

A deeply multilayered film that conveys a universal message. In a delicate manner, without opposition, but through connection, the authors depict a painfully familiar conflict - the difficulty to choose between your dear ones’ immediate needs and the bigger picture, the well-being of the planet and mankind itself. Through three characters the filmmakers unroll a profoundly felt story that should provide food for thought for every viewer.
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2021

Matsalu National Park Special Prize

A young Crane´s long Journey

Director Jouni Hiltunen

The film has very good nature educational content, it gives good overview of life of cranes. It fits well with Matsalu birds paradise and has direct views from Matsalu National Park.
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2021

Best Cinematography (Man and Nature)

Overland

Director Elisabeth Haviland James, Revere La Noue

This film walks simultaneously on the borders of many different spheres of being: historical and modern, sky and earth, animals and people, our deep inner needs and instincts versus invasion from the outside. The camera work supports the story with sensitivity and great empathy, depicting the relationship between man and bird in a very complex way, as well as the environment and the mental and physical world in which the action takes place.
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2021

OFFICIAL AWARDS of the 18th MATSALU NATURE FILM FESTIVAL

Tallinn Zoo Special Prize

Mt. Suswa - Life in a Volcano

Director Oliver Goetzl

The diversity of wildlife in the lava tubes and at the foot of Mount Suswa in Africa is a sight worth seeing – it is species-rich and full of biodiveristy. Animals such as olive baboons, spotted hyenas, bats, african elephants, african wild dogs and many others find shelther and safety in the volcanic caves and its surrounding areas. The movie offers a chance to peek into an unseen world where only a few have ever been.
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2020

Best Cinematography (Nature)

Going Nuts - Tales from the Squirrel World

Director Yann Sochaczewski

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.
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2020

Special Mention (Nature)

Cantábria – Spain’s magical Mountains

Director Joaquin Gutierrez Acha

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.
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2020

Best Editing (Nature)

Okavango: River of Dreams

Director Dereck & Beverly Joubert

Jury: The scenes are masterfully edited and form a story-telling whole.
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2020

Grand Prix

Okavango: River of Dreams

Director Dereck & 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.
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2020

Special Jury Prize (Nature)

The Meadow - Paradise Lost

Director Jan Haft

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.
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2020

Matsalu National Park Special Prize

The Meadow - Paradise Lost

Director Jan Haft

There are few preserved heritage landscapes in Germany, where time, human labor and biodiversity have coexisted for centuries. Jan Haft's film highlights the close relationships of meadow life, but also some dangers. The film uses interesting techniques that bring the macro level of meadows very close to the viewer.
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2020

I Prize

Nomads

Director Emiliano Ruprah

Jury: The richness and variety of Mexican nature and the wealth of its species, the importance of migration and behavior 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.
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2020

Best Director (Nature)

Nomads

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.
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2020

NGO Mondo Special Prize

Generation Greta

Director Simon Kessler & Johan Boulanger

The film shows us the journey of 9 climate activists - young women, who in their respective countries, but also on a global scale fight for a future for us all on this planet. It is a tough journey where they experience personal attacks, hypocrisy of politicians, but also achieve some big and small victories, which encourage them to continue the fight. An inspiring film, which should be seen by all young people in Estonia!
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2020

Special Mention (Man and Nature)

The Beauty of Being

Director Jaan Tootsen

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.
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2020

I Prize

Animus Animalis. A Story About People, Animals and Things

Director Aistė Žegulytė

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.
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2020

Best Director (Man and Nature)

Animus Animalis. A Story About People, Animals and Things

Director Aistė Žegulytė

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.
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2020

Special Jury Prize (Man and Nature)

The Season, when Velvet Antlers get Ripe

Director Galina Leontieva

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.
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2020

Best Cinematography (Man and Nature)

Northern Wind can be Warm

Director Aleksei Golovkov

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.
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2020