OFFICIAL AWARDS of the 22nd MATSALU NATURE FILM FESTIVAL
Grand Prix
Lions of the Skeleton Coast
Director Will and Lianne SteenkampThis 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. Read more
2024
2024
Best Cinematography (Man and Nature)
Lions of the Skeleton Coast
Director Will and Lianne SteenkampMasterfully 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.Read more
2024
2024
Estonian Fund for Nature Special Prize
Vertical Money
Director Martti HeldeThank you for the courage to speak about the concerns of Estonian forests in an aesthetically sensitive cinematic language.Read more
2024
Best Editing (Man and Nature)
Grasshopper Republic
Director Daniel McCabeThe 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.Read more
2024
Best Editing (Nature)
Flowing Freely - In the River of Life
Director Uwe MüllerRivers 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.Read more
2024
Special Mention (Nature)
A Cheetah's Pride - EP2: Struggle to Survive
Director Hansa WinshawA 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.Read more
2024
Special Mention (Man and Nature)
Magnifica: Passive Intruder
Director Ville KoskinenA 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.Read more
2024
2024
Matsalu National Park Special Prize
My Sweden - A Changing Wilderness
Director Zoltán TörökThe 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.Read more
2024
Best Director (Man and Nature)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Director Sofie BenootA 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.Read more
2024
Best Cinematography (Nature)
Welcome to the Forest - Mind the Gap
Director Jan HaftIn 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.Read more
2024
2024
Special Jury Prize (Nature)
Vietnam´s Mysterious North
Director Heike Grebe, Johannes Berger, Michael Riegler, Stephan KrasserThe 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.Read more
2024
Tallinn Zoo Special Prize
Namibia's Natural Wonders - Little Heroes, big Hunters
Director Jens Westphalen / Thoralf GrospitzRead more
2024
2024
Best Director (Nature)
Namibia's Natural Wonders - Little Heroes, big Hunters
Director Jens Westphalen / Thoralf GrospitzThe 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.Read more
2024
2024
Special Jury Prize (Man and Nature)
A Call from the Wild
Director Asgeir HelgestadAsgeir 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.Read more
2024
Special Mention (Man and Nature)
La Macchina Fissa - Clark's Garden
Director Emilio Neri TremoladaA 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."Read more
2024
