Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival

The Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival is a new festival, founded by Edinburgh Conservation Science (ECoS), a consortium of Scotland-based organisations promoting the inclusion of science into biodiversity conservation management and policy. In the spring of 2022, the biggest global biodiversity conference in a decade, CoP15, will conclude. With large meetings running from October 2021, the CoP15 is bringing together all the Parties signed up to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This Convention covers the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, with fair sharing of benefits arising from it. In the spirit of supporting public engagement with this special CoP, we are looking for short films that inspire and engage a wide audience. We are looking for fresh stories about biodiversity, and its importance for tackling the climate emergency, and for all of us. We are looking for films that convey a positive message of what we can achieve for the benefit of biodiversity conservation. We welcome entries from filmmakers at any stage in their career, students, emerging talent, or established filmmakers. Animations are also accepted. To mark this event, our first film festival will take place in Spring 2022 (date and venue to be confirmed closer to the time). The Global Biodiversity Framework’s vision is a world living in harmony with nature where: By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored, and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet, and delivering benefits essential for all people. In honour of this, we are theming the festival around ‘A world living in harmony’. In keeping with the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to be adopted at CoP15, we are looking for your inspired help. We would welcome short films (up to five minutes) featuring stories from around the globe centred on the theme ‘A world living in harmony’. There are four categories: - Why nature matters These films will show the importance of nature in its own right as well as for people. You may wish to focus on a particular sector or theme, but what should shine through is why nature matters. - Fixing nature and climate The two are intertwined; nature is fundamentally influenced by climate, and our climate depends fundamentally on the health of nature. Films in this category will tell stories that convey these interdependencies. - Connecting people and nature Many argue that we face the twin crisis (biodiversity and climate) because we have failed to connect with nature. Our values, the economy, health and education, and our very existence should, arguably, be embedded in nature. Films in this category will tell stories that lie at the heart of this connection. - Innovation and tools for biodiversity. Extraordinary advances in social, scientific, technological, and engineering sectors can help us care for biodiversity and the planet. Films in this category should tell stories demonstrating what these are and convey their impact and significance. Students,please email us at ecos.contact@ecos.ac.uk stating your current course of study for a fee waiver password. If your film fits the theme of the festival but doesn’t quite match one of the categories, please get in touch (ecos.contact@ecos.ac.uk). Remember, we will prioritise films with messages of hope. We are defining biodiversity in the widest sense: Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is the multitude of living things that make up life on Earth. It encompasses the 8 million or so species on the planet—from plants and animals to fungi and bacteria—and the ecosystems that house them such as oceans, forests, mountain environments, and coral reefs. We are especially interested in collaborative short films between conservation practitioners/students and filmmakers. We will accept films submitted from anywhere in the world. You can see the draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework that is to be agreed upon at CoP15 here: https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/3064/749a/0f65ac7f9def86707f4eaefa/post2020-prep-02-01-en.pdf Judging panel: The judging panel will be announced in due course but will include conservation film professionals, conservation scientists, and conservation filmmakers.