For use of the media only;
not an official document.
JOINT PRESS RELEASE
International Elephant Film Festival Celebrates World’s Best Elephant Films
Finalists announced today. Winners to be announced at UN Headquarters on UN World Wildlife Day--3 March 2016
Geneva/Jackson, WY/New York 26 February 2016 - The Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) teamed up in organizing an International Elephant Film Festival to raise global awareness of the various challenges facing the African and Asian elephants, as a highlight of UN World Wildlife Day on 3 March. The Festival received more than 250 entries into the film competition, which were reviewed by over 75 preliminary judges over six weeks before the short list was passed on to the final judging panel. The distinguished panel of international judges who will select winners includes:
Inger Anderson, Director General of International Union for Conservation of Nature- Ian Craig, Director of Conservation, Northern Rangelands Trust, Kenya
- Bingbing Li, Actress, Singer and Conservationist, China
- Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, Republic of South Africa
- Catherine Novelli, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, United States
- John E. Scanlon, Secretary General of CITES
International Elephant Film Finalists
African Voices
All the Presidents Elephants, Triosphere for NHU Africa
Elephants Without Borders, Afriscreen Films, BBC
NATURE: Soul of the Elephant, Wildlife Films and THIRTEEN Productions LLC in co-production with Terra Mater Factual Studios
Paseka The Easter Elephant, Afriscreen Films
White Gold, Pace Productions
Asian Elephants
Elephant Island, Mike Birkhead Associates
Gods in Shackles, Sangita Iyer
Manas: Return of the Giants, Ammonite, Ltd. and Kosmik Global
The Eyes of Thailand, DVA Productions in association with Indiewood Pictures
Issues & Solutions
Elephants Without Borders, Afriscreen Films, BBC
Naledi: Every Elephant Counts, Vulcan Productions in association with Off the Fence
Warlords of Ivory, National Geographic Studios for National Geographic Channels
Elephant Hero
Echo and the Elephants of Amboseli: Episode Two,Mike Birkhead Associates in association with Off The Fence for Animal Planet International
Echo, an Unforgettable Elephant, Mike Birkhead Associates for BBC and Thirteen Productions LLC/WNETin association with PBS
Gardeners of Eden, Village Beat, RYOT
Elephant Micro-Movie (under 5 minutes)
An Elephant’s Tale: The Matriarch, Wildlife Conservation Society
Elephants are Wildlife. Not Entertainers, World Animal Protection
I Will Always Remember You, Hugo Guinness
Let Them Live,Filmontage Productions
War of Space, Mays Entertainment
Wild, Village Beat
People & Elephants
For the Love of Elephants, Make Believe Media
Gardeners of Eden, Village Beat, RYOT
Naledi: Every Elephant Counts, Vulcan Productions in association with Off the Fence
Tyke: Elephant Outlaw, Jumping Dog Productions
Science & Elephants
Elephants Without Borders, Afriscreen Films, BBC
Living with Elephants, Evanescence Studios
Minds of Giants. Vulcan Productions in association with Off the Fence
The Secret Life of Elephants- Episode One: Elephant Funeral, BBC Bristol NHU
In judging the films the international panel is assessing the overall impact, cinematography and videography of the films. The views expressed in each film should not be seen as necessarily reflecting the personal views of the judges.
Winners will be announced at a high level event to mark the global celebration of World Wildlife Day at UN Headquarters in New York on 3 March 2016. Winning and finalist films will be subsequently showcased extensively throughout the world, through local screening events and broadcasts.
For more information, please visit: http://www.internationalelephantfilmfestival.org
Media contacts:
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival: Kathryn Jeffords, Kathryn@jhfestival.org, +1-307-200-3286
CITES Secretariat: Yuan Liu, Yuan.LIU@cites.org
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About the United Nations World Wildlife Day
On 20 December 2013, the Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora. The date is the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973, which plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species’ survival. World Wildlife Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people. At the same time, the Day reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.
About Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival’s (JHWFF’s) programs promote public awareness and steward ship of wildlife and wildlife habitat through the innovative use of media. Since 1991, its annual conferences draw together international leaders in science, conservation, broadcasting and media. For three days this year, committed elephant advocates convened for the Jackson Hole Conservation Summit: Elephants to share resources and strategies, address critical challenges and brainstorm innovative approaches for collaboration. They joined 650+ of the world’s most influential filmmakers and commissioners at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival to celebrate the world’s finest nature programming and explore innovative ways to integrate media centrally into the battle against global wildlife crime.
About CITES
With 182 Parties, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) remains one of the world's most powerful tools for wildlife conservation through the regulation of trade. Thousands of species are internationally traded and used by people in their daily lives for food, health care, housing, tourist souvenirs, cosmetics or fashion. CITES regulates international trade in over 35,000 species of plants and animals, including their products and derivatives, to ensure their survival in the wild with benefits for the livelihoods of local people and the global environment. The CITES permit system seeks to ensure that international trade in listed species is sustainable, legal and traceable. CITES was signed in Washington D.C. on 3 March 1973 and entered into force on 1 July 1975. Learn more about CITES by visiting www.cites.org