Nature documentaries often serve as a call to action through impact campaigns centered on their environmental message. Such films have occasionally brought on policy changes and played a huge role in raising awareness.

But what about those documentaries that, through their storytelling and atmosphere, more subtly highlight the connection between humans and the environment? How do they reach the audiences, how are they perceived, and what kind of an impact can they have? A beautifully crafted work that is character-driven or based on another topic, but showcases the magnificence and fragility of nature, can result in a response that activist films with a direct message, or narrator-led TV films are too limited in form and expression to achieve. Such a film can inspire and touch the audiences' hearts, and as we humans primarily make decisions based on our emotions, it can contribute to a more profound change in people's relation to our world. 

In a conversation with filmmakers, researchers and impact experts, this talk explores the potential reach and effect of creative nature documentaries on audiences. 

Moderator: Heather Haynes (Producer/curator)

Speakers: Diego Gutiérrez (Filmmaker, The Shipwrecked), Liliana Jáuregui Bordones (Director, International Union for Conservation of Nature - NL), Sandra Winther (Filmmaker, Lowland Kids)

Closed caption service for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is available for this session. Please ask our staff for QR codes to scan on your phone.