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Matsalu International Nature Film Festival
5th Matsalu International Nature Film Festival
The 5th Matsalu Nature Film Festival was once more bigger, better and bolder – this year the selection committee received 140 films from 40 different countries. Among the newcomers were Belgium, Spain, Montenegro, Argentina, Australia, Brasilia, Ecuador, Japan, Kazakhstan, South-Korea, Nigeria, Chile and Turkey.
From these 140 wonderful entries we selected 42, as both the audience and jury couldn’t really cope with more. However, apart from competition program many fabulous films were screened as a part of the additional program held in the small hall. As always, there were many photo exhibitions and events held at Lihula Manor House. The opening day of the festival was also the grand finale of two photo contests – the winners of Matsalu 50 awards were announced at the Culture House and the winners of Läänemaa – turvaline pesapaik were awarded at the Manor House.
This year brought also some new developments as the festival spread also to Haapsalu. The audience there enjoyed the best films of last festivals, films of the current competition and had also the opportunity to meet some of the filmmakers.
The audience numbers reached a new peak, amounting to more than 8000. The team was happy to meet old acquaintances and make new friends. The Children Program held at the opening day proved to be a great success that won many hearts. The program included a rich array of films, interesting nature-related activities, drawing and photographing sessions. The major Northern nature filmmaker Jan Henriksson talked about his work and demonstrated necessary equipment – by a lucky chance it was he who was awarded also the Grand Prix!
In addition to rich array of films the festival offered audience and guests a varied program of discussion groups and workshops focusing on nature photographing and problems related to white-tailed sea-eagle populations, and a roundtable discussion about financing and funding problems, presided by Tuulikki Halla, a specialist from Finnish Metsähallitus. The guests enjoyed tours and trips to the northern shore of Matsalu Bay, to medieval Lihula, to Haapsalu and early morning bird-watching tours guided by Aare Lepik.
RESULTS
Festival jury consisting of:
Urmas Tartes (Chairman)
Ingo Potrykus
Michael Schlamberger
Yossi Weissler
Riho Västrik
decided to present the festival awards as follows:
The Grand Prix
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“Nature’s Dance”
directors Bo Landin and Jan Henriksson, USA
An excellent story about the beauty and grace of the nordic nature. Film covers the mating season of different animals with highest quality footage.
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I prize
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 Category “Nature”
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“Wall of Death”
director Moshe Alpert, Israel
This is an astonishing narrative of life and death in one of the most beautiful and brutal environments in the world. The combination of storytelling and photography touches your deepest emotions.
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Category “Man and Nature”
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“Flying Fox – Wings of the Night”
director Annette Scheurich, Germany/Australia
Natural history told us a detective story. Flying foxes seen through the eyes of a modern aboriginal Australian, evokes awareness of nature in urban environments.
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Special Prize of the Jury
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“Rebirth”
director Joosep Matjus, Estonia
A wonderful Estonian "Haiku". Author presents nothing more than a few minutes at a little Estonian stream in early Spring in excellent combination with natural sound of the water and a few local birds, to create a dense, emotional, authentic image of the change in nature from Winter to Spring.
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“The Pander’s Ground Jay of the Ile”
director Altay Zhatkanbayev, Kazakhstan
The film is commended in recognition of the technical problems involved in filming this very rare bird in a remote and climatically hostile region of Kazakhstan.
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“The Gatecrashers”
directors Tina-Marie Qwiberg and Hans Berggren, Sweden
An excellent filming and skilful set-up reveal us the hidden winners of the modern world - animals who found living space in man-made habitats.
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Best Director
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Category “Nature”
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“In the Beginning was the Mud”
director Luc Riolon, France
Although mud is not a very attractive subject to most of us, the director tells an intriguing story, combining scientific facts and revelations with the personal commitment and passion of the scientist featured in this film.
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Category “Man and Nature”
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“The Wild and the West”
directors Manfred Christ and Harald Pokieser, Austria
A well-directed story covers everything in style and with delicate humour. The wild west we think we know is shown as it really was.
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Best Photography
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Category “Nature”
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“Megafalls of the Iguacu”
photography by Christian Baumeister, Germany
Only MEGAfilming can bring us to the largest power of water deep in the heart of Latin America. The incredible filming of this film made it.
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Category “Man and Nature”
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“The Horseman”
photography by Peter Gerdehag, Sweden
The cameraman created a convincing style and mood for this film. Without getting voyeuristic he carefully reveals the character to the audience.
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Highly Commended Diplomas
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"Maculinea - the fascinating World of the large blue Butterflies"
director Thomas Falkner, Germany
This is a film on the complex interactions in an ecosystem, necessary for survival of an endangered, small, blue butterfly. The film team has been able to visualize these complex interactions of causes and consequences to make this complex story accessible and understandable.
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"Giant Wings: The Black Vulture"
director Ece Soydam, Turkey
An intimate portrait. Like the birds, the film-makers had to deal with a harsh environment.
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"Journey of the Giants"
director Armin Mueck, Sweden
Film, which provides us a close up of the life of endangered tooth-whale - the sperm whale. In order to open the secrets of the giant animal the filmmakers have not been afraid to pass thousands of sea miles with whales.
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"Wild Mongolia"
director Heinz Leger, Austria
Views of Mongolia, the land of burning sun and biting frost, the land where life and death are tied together is capturing our imagination again and again.
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"Chanting and Enchating Animals"
director Alfredo Salazar, Ecuador
Alfredo’s lens brings us close to the creatures of Earth and water - the amphibians of the rainforest of Equador.
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"The Finest Rivers of Finland 2. Oulanka river"
director Petteri Saario, Finland
For the story with a strong personal approach. One can clearly recognize the Nordic rhythm of life and tone in the cinematographic language of the film. Instead of camera one could easily imagine a paintbrush of an artist or music-paper of the composer.
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"Europe's Last Spotted Eagles"
director Petri Merta, Finland
This film has specific relation to Estonia: much of the filming has been done here and Estonia is the area, where the greatest danger for the extinction of the endangered Lesser Spotted Eagle is studied. The film presents beautiful footage of the bird.
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"Laurie Marker - in Love With Cheetahs"
director Natasha Calestreme, France
We have been in love with cheetahs already. Now we fell in love with Laurie Marker.
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"Magic Night"
director Jouni Hiltunen, Finland
Unusual approach to the nature - the introduction of the soundscape as a matter of fact. The music of nature is introduced to the audience through the ears of a blind man. Most of us, who are able to see, do not notice that dimension. The strength of that film lies in simplicity.
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"Snakes in Paradise"
director Claudia Pelz, Germany/Italy
Helps to understand one dark side of the globalization - the geographical re-location of the species. The invaders break the equilibrium of the ecosystem, restoring of which is much more complicated than destroying. The film helps us to understand the necessity of fight against foreign species.
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"Budapest Wild"
director Zsolt Marcell Toth, Hungary
An excellent presentation of the urban lifestyles of unseen urban inhabitants.
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"The Tiger and the Monk"
director Harald Pokieser, Austria
Striking presentation of mutual relationship between a human and a large carnivore - a tiger.
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"The Stork and Us"
directors Yasuhiro Ono and Emi Kubosawa, Japan
Film from Japan is on the reintroduction of an extinct species - the Oriental White Stork. It visualizes the numerous obstacles and failures in a decade-lasting effort, and the amount of patience and support required to finally succeed.
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"The Weather Prophets"
director Christoph Felder, Germany
Film that makes a bow to the peasant's cleverness and teaches the audience to read the book of the Nature and to understand it. An excellent portrait of peaceful everyday life of the Swiss mountain village, which does not let to harm itself from the ever rushing environment.
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"O2H - From Oil to Hydrogen"
directors Enrico Marchese and Raffaello Pavesi, Italy
Cares about the future of mankind and introduces possible solutions to cope with an upcoming energetic catastrophe.
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"Sand Dancer"
director Valerie Reid, New-Zealand
A man uses sand as a temporary canvas to tell the message with his art. This makes the audience to think about how to find a balance between humans and nature today and tomorrow.
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Special Prizes
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Ministry of Environment
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"The Weather Prophets"
director Christoph Felder, Germany
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Ministry of Environment
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"Rebirth"
director Joosep Matjus, Estonia
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Environmental Department of Läänemaa County
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"Estonian Eagles"
director Rein Maran, Estonia
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Matsalu National Park
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"Europe's Last Spotted Eagles"
director Petri Merta, Finland
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Haapsalu Town
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"In the Beginning was Mud"
director Luc Riolon, France
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LIST OF FILMS
 - competition program
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Conserve our environment
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Marti Arano Oller
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Spain
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Ahmed and the return of the Arab Phoenix
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Giuseppe Buccarelli
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Italy
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Mink Invasion - new exotic animals in Navarino
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Künzelmann, Scholz
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Germany
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Maculinea - the fascinating World of the large blue Butterflies
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Thomas Falkner
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Germany
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Another World
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Steve Moreau
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France
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Mind
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Steve Moreau
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France
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Apnea
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Steve Moreau
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France
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Wild North
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Sue Daly
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Channel Islands
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Wall of Death
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Moshe Allpert
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Israel
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Giant Wings: The Black Vulture
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Ece Soydam
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Turkey
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The Weather Profeten
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Christoph Felder
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Switzerland
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Horseman
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Peter Gerdehag
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Sweden
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Silence is Golden
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Nikola Boshnakov
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Bulgaria
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Oldies but Goldies
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Jan Haft
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Germany
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Our Child the Gorilla
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Quincy Russell
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France
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Laurie Marker - in love with Cheetahs
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Natasha Calestreme
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France
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In the Beginning was Mud
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Luc Riolon
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France
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Oh my Dog!
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Thierry Berrod
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France
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Monkeys, Who's looking at Who?
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Vincent Amouroux
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France
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Snakes in Paradise
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Claudia Pelz
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Germany/Italy
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As Time goes Sea
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Claudia Pelz
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Germany/Italy
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The Green Conquest
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Alfredo Salazar
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Ecuador
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Chanting and enchanting Animals
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Alfredo Salazar
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Ecuador
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The Nature of Rebirth
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Johanna Lampi
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Finland
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The Wild Sheep, the Fox and Love
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Anne Magnussen
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Norway
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Journey of the Giants
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Armin Mueck
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Sweden
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The Finest Rivers of Finland 1. Porvoo river
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Petteri Saario
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Finland
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The Finest Rivers of Finland 2.Oulanka river
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Petteri Saario
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Finland
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The Finest Rivers of Finland 4. Tornio River
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Petteri Saario
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Finland
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The Finest Rivers of Finland 6. Teno River
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Petteri Saario
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Finland
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Sven Quijote
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Petteri Saario
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Finland
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O2H - From Oil to Hydrogen
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E. Marchese, R. Pavesi
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Italy
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The Smoke
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Vladimir Perovic
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Montenegro
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From Forests to Fields about Raptors
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Bence Fajcsak
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Hungary
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Flying Fox - Wings of the Night
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Anette Scheunich
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Germany/Australia
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Squids - Hunting for the White Gold
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A. Scheunich, Owen Pröll
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Germany
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Mara - Africa's River of Destiny
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Peter Glaub
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Germany
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Estonia - Wolves, Beavers, Bears
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Urmas E. Liiv
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Germany
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Megafalls of the Iguacu
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Christian Baumeister
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Germany
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Trempülkawe - Giants of Sea
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Antonio Molina Montecinos
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Chile/Argentina
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The Stork and Us
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Yasuhiro Ono, Emi Kubosawa
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Japan
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Equator - Challenge of Change
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Toshio Hashiba
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Japan
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End of a Myth
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Ralf Kiefner
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Germany
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Nature's Dance
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Bo Landin
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USA
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CO2 or you?
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Tama Gempton
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Canada
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Wild Mongolia
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Heinz Leger
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Austria
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Ol'Man River - Mighty Mississipi 1. The Great
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Michael Schlamberger
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Austria
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Ol'Man River - Mighty Mississipi 2. The Two Ri
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Michael Schlamberger
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Austria
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The Tiger and the Monk
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Harald Pokieser
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Austria
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The Wild and the West
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Manfred Christ, Harald Pokieser
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Austria
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Magic Night
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Jouni Hiltunen
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Finland
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The Raintree
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Johannes Braun
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Germany
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The North Sea 1. From the Wadden Sea to
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Thoralf Grospitz, Jens Westphalen
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Germany
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The North Sea 2. From Scotland to the North
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Thoralf Grospitz, Jens Westphalen
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Germany
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Air
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Konstantin Birjukov
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Russia
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The Guide to Brown Bear Country
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Stefan Quinth
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USA
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The Cuckoo
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Joni Huttunen, John Belfrage
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Sweden
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Krypt
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Lars Nagler
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Germany
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Afternoon Party
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Wilfried Agricola de Cologne
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Germany
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Inside the Kalari
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Ian McDonald
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India/UK
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Fatal Circle
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Nisvet Hrustic
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Bosnia & Herzegovina
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And it comes from high
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Alfredo Salazar
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Ecuador
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When the Time comes
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Thomas Forwood
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France
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The Cat's Cut
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Jeremy Hamers
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Belgium
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Lopukhovo
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Jara Malevez
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Belgium
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Wellman
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Branko Istvancic
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Croatia
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Fisherman's Tale
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Irena Skoric
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Croatia
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Last Sundae
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Rob Ward
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UK
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Estonian Eagles
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Rein Maran
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Estonia
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Janne - shooting Boreal Forests
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Kari Kemppainen
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Finland
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The Pander's Ground Jay of the Ile
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Altay Zhatkanbayev
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Kazakhstan
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Europe's Last Spotted Eagles
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Petri Merta
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Finland
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The Paradise Land
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Ruben Khachatryan
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Armenia
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The Vultures of Armenia
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Ruben Khachatryan
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Armenia
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From Gili to Armash
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Ruben Khachatryan
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Armenia
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Expedition X
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Ruben Khachatryan
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Armenia
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Birds of Armenia
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Ruben Khachatryan
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Armenia
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Caves of Armenia
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Ruben Khachatryan
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Armenia
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200 000 Phantoms
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Jean-Gabrile Periot
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France
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Duet
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Kiarash Anvari
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Iran
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Whitelove
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Simone Duca Luchini
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Italy
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After the Hens
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Karine Blanc
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France
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Exam
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Paul Negoescu
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Romania
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Solange Femex - a life for life
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Daniel Coche
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France
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Shopping
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More Sebastien
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France
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The fateful encounter of Wendy & Earl
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Leo Curbelo
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USA
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Calango!
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Ale Camargo
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Brazil
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The new Forester
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Enrico Barbieri
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Germany
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Merline
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Arnold Sarah
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France
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Good Bye
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Paolo Santagostino
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Italy
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Tar
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Sacha Polak
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Netherlands
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Taiwan
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Juan Esteban Angel Rodriguez
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Colombia
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Stop Tobacco
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Fabrice Bracq
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France
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After Loneliness
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Batu Eritenel
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Turkey
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Skating away on the thin Ice of a new day
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Aboulfaz Talooni, S. Avini
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Iran
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Arcitects building Nothingness
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Paolo Sibilio
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Italy
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Le Shakedown
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Johnny Bogris, John Samaras
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Germany
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Skull and Blackberries
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Eric Ostrowski
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USA
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GABRA2
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Jan Karpinski
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Germany
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Locust
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Edwina Hoel
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France
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Polignano a Mare
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Aaron Krach
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France
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Ayurveda - The Wisdom of Life
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Nicole Maria Krieger
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Germany
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Carpa Diem
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Sergio Cannella
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Italy
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The way it is
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Elisabeth Rocha Salgado
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Netherlands
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The Life of a Plastic Bag
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Rahela Jurcevic
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Croatia
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See you next week
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Paolo de Tarso, Mauricio Franco
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Brazil
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Futures
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Robert Seidel
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Germany
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Respite
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Steve Hines
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UK
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Tadpoles
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Hannaleena Hauru
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Finland
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Slaughter Day
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Nathan Berry
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Sweden
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Alaska
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Annetta Marion
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USA
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Bursted into Tears
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Guillaume Anglard
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France
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Spring isn't fair
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Daniel Klein
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France
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SanSeT
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Alfonso Nogueroles
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Spain
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Urban Tantra Yogini
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Jürgen G.H. Hoppmann
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Germany
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The Book
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Anay Tarnekar
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USA
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Beautiful Promises
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Laurent Pernot
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France
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Heart of the Village
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Alexei Jankowski
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Russia
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Only believe the Wind
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Viktar Korzun
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Russia
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Gorgeous Man
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Eray Mert
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Turkey
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Kazim Ada
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Eray Mert
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Turkey
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To look to see
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Eray Mert
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Turkey
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Hesitant
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Eray Mert
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Turkey
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Pigeon
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Merig Ozan, Mutlu Karadogan
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Turkey
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The Ice Tribe
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Heidi Vilkman
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UK
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Under Construction
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Lee Hyung-suk
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South-Korea
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The Gatecrashers
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Tina-Marie Qwiberg
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Sweden
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Caravan
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Dan Säll
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Denmark
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Sand Dancer
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Valerie Reid
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New-Zealand
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Rebirth
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Joosep Matjus
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Estonia
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Budapest Wild
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Zsolt Marcell Toth
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Hungary
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Antarctic. Life in the Frozen Oasis
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Zsolt Marcell Toth
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Hungary
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On the Land of Watery Plains
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Zsolt Marcell Toth
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Hungary
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