IWFF 2024

Shorts Block - Safeguarding Nature

Expired May 4, 2024 5:59 AM
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6 films in package
Grasping the Nettle
Nettles are a plant that many of us are familiar with. They sting our bare legs, invade our gardens, and swamp our footpaths. Yet, for filmmaker Mairi Eyres, something about this unloved plant captures her imagination.
Faces of the Cloud Forest
In Bwindi Impenetrable forest, growing conflict with people puts the local population of Mountain Gorillas at risk. In her struggle to protect them, one veterinarian discovers that the many similarities between the two communities threaten to destroy them.
Jaguar Del Cielo
The film follows field tech Felix Tafoya’s journey to better understand and conserve Mexico’s apex predator in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas, Mexico
Wild Hope: Coral Comeback
Corals around the world are threatened by rising ocean temperatures that risk bleaching reefs and decimating entire marine ecosystems, but researchers in Hawaii are helping these marine architects beat the heat. With their help, coral reefs may have a better chance to survive — both now, and in the future.
Song of the Prairie: Restoring a Home on the Range for the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken
Texas’ coastal prairies once spanned more than 6 million acres, extending from southernmost Texas up along the Gulf of Mexico part of the state and into Louisiana, but today, less than one percent of this habitat remains. Such a significant loss of coastal prairie has devastated many wildlife populations, including the critically endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken (APC). The good news: After years of protection and conservation efforts, Texas’ Attwater’s prairie chicken population is higher than in decades.
Under the Wire
This story is about a community working together to improve fencelines so pronghorn and other wildlife can move more freely. It also celebrates the wildlife that calls the North Platte River Valley home and the folks living and working on this land to help keep these animals around for generations.

Films in this session celebrate the interconnectedness of humans and animals, emphasizing the importance of living in harmony with other species.

Nettles are a plant that many of us are familiar with. They sting our bare legs, invade our gardens, and swamp our footpaths. Yet, for filmmaker Mairi Eyres, something about this unloved plant captures her imagination. Could there be more to their story? She sets off on a journey to find out, building an unusual piece of camera equipment along the way and meeting the people who can show her a different side to the nettle. There’s Liam, the Northern Irish farmer who plants them; Ali, who searches for the magic in urban nettles; and Nettle Girl, a nine-year-old child without fear of their sting. What can they all teach her about the way she sees the nettle? With beautiful imagery and touching characters, this film is a call to examine how we view nature and appreciate the wonders right on our doorstep.

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    17 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United Kingdom
  • Social Media
  • Director
    Mairi Eyres
  • Producer
    Mairi Eyres
  • Cast
    Moyra McMaster, Liam McFaul, Ali Rajabali, Michael Green, Gillian Edom, Olive Jones, James Crymble
  • Cinematographer
    Mairi Eyres
  • Editor
    Mairi Eyres
  • Music
    Leo Alexander
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