2023 Good Natured Film Festival
The Good Natured Conservation Optimism short film festival shares hopeful stories of nature’s recovery and people’s stewardship of it from all over the world. The 5th edition of the film festival took place on July 15, 2023 from 6-9pm at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and was sponsored by the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery at the University of Oxford. We also held a public art challenge and exhibition themed around the prompt: “What does nature recovery look like to you?”.
In 2023, we had the following five categories of short films:
- Student
- Life on Earth
- Animation
- People & Nature
- Nature Recovery
Our judges were:
- Karen Partridge (director, presenter and award-winning filmmaker for the BBC Discovery Channel and National Geographic)
- Steve Hickner (Dreamworks Animation, director of Bee Movie/producer of Balto, professor at Ringling College)
- James Shooter (cameraman, Wild Isles, and host of the Rewild podcast)
- Libby Penman (BBC-featured wildlife filmmaker whose work previously featured in Good Natured!)
The 2023 Film Festival can now be viewed on our YouTube channel:
The winners of the 2023 Good Natured Film Festival were:
Overall best film:
Winner – Penny: Harvesting Hope – by Josh Robertson
Runner-up – Mujer Espíritu – by Adriana Ronquillo Vásquez
Student film:
Winner – The Harbourmaster – by Mia Ludvigsen Henriksen & Konrad Hjemli
Runner-up – The Watchman – by Alicia Hayden
Life on Earth:
Winner – Five Months with a Fox – by Mark Trapani
Runner-up – Life and Times of Jenah – by Yew Aun Quek
Animation:
Winner – The Harbourmaster – by Mia Ludvigsen Henriksen & Konrad Hjemli
Runner-up – Mujer Espíritu – by Adriana Ronquillo Vásquez
People & Nature:
Winner – The Watchman – by Alicia Hayden
Runner-up – Sound of the Lake – by Cale Green, Johnny Holder & Daphne Wong
Nature Recovery:
Winner – Penny: Harvesting Hope – by Josh Robertson
Runner-up – California Condor, A Conservation Story – by Miguel Angel Sicilia
Audience Favourite 2023:
Winner – The Harbourmaster – by Mia Ludvigsen Henriksen & Konrad Hjemli
Runner-up – We are the Earth – by Zoé Rose & Thierry Gaudin
Thank you to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery for supporting the festival.
Impact Evaluation
Attendees of the Good-Natured Film Festival (GNFF) were asked to complete a post- event evaluation, containing 12 questions. In total, we had 108 responses to the survey. As each question was optional, we did not receive responses to every question from every attendee. Survey results are summarised below.
Q: I enjoyed the film festival (n = 78).
Q: I enjoyed the art exhibition (n = 77).
Q: I learnt something new about conservation (n = 79).
Q: This event boosted my mood (n =79).
“The Good Natured Film Festival presented a seamless fusion of science and nature through art and offered a unique and powerful means of storytelling that touched the hearts of audiences…The work of individuals whose stories have been showcased, as well as people from Conservation Optimism, act as an impactful catalyst for change, inspiring us all to take an active role in preserving the beauty and wonder of our natural world”
“When discussing conservation, if the aim is to spur action… Should you emphasise the negative, the urgency, the alarming evidence? The plight, notoriously, of the stranded polar bear? Or should you instead be more positive, focus on awe, the majesty of nature and indeed the achievements of modern conservation? Tonight at Oxford’s Museum of Natural History, the Conservation Optimism festival will showcase the latter”
“An incredible festival! We are so honoured to have our film selected with such an amazing group of filmmakers. Although we weren’t able to attend in person, the venue (Oxford University’s Natural History Museum) looked absolutely magical! Being a part of a festival with such a positive message of conservation has been a true joy for my sons and I. Being able to view the entire program of films online was really amazing. Thank you so much for a fantastic festival!”
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