The University of Idaho Fish & Wildlife Film Festival connects people with nature through film.
2021 Festival
We are now in the submissions phase for the 2021 festival.
Submission start is October 1, entry deadline is December 11, notification date is January 31.
We invite novice and professional filmmakers, K-12 students, and university students to submit short films (1-10 minutes) that span a broad array of subjects, in the following categories:
- Animal behavior and ecology
- Science and research
- Wildlife-human connections
- “Wild Side" submissions (fun, creative, and unusual formats such as music videos)
Contact us
Fish & Wildlife Film Festival
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 1136
Moscow, ID, 83844
208.885.8605
cnr-fwff@uidaho.edu
2020 U of I Fish & Wildlife Film Festival Preview
2020 Festival
Virtual Fish and Wildlife Film Fest 2020 showing
Nov. 6 and Nov. 13, 6-8:00 p.m. PDT.
Free for K-12 and University Students, recommended donation for other adults $7
This year we partnered with The Wildlife Society(TWS) to share our film festival as part of the TWS conference from Sept. 28 - Oct. 1 and featured some of our film makers in a panel discussion.
Renewal: Think Like a Scientist - Jessica Plumb
A Kind of Common Thread - Cella Wright
Poachers and Protectors: The Story of Scarlet Macaws in Honduras - Christi Lowe
The Human - Harko Wubs
Masters of Camouflage - Grant Callegari
Horse Rich and Dirt Poor - Ben Masters and Charles Post
Helping 6 Species Adapt to Climate Change - Lacy Robinson
Ferret Town - Virginia Moore
Birds in Their Hands - Olivia Belluck, Olivia Coleman, and Noah Kane
The Hart - Henry Lin
Smart Slime? - Juliette Martineau
The Last Green Thread - Danny Schmidt and Eric Bendick
Nutz & Bolts - Sam Avery
Pangolin - Katie Schuler
Where Life Begins - Katie Schuler
Noor- Queen of Ranthambore - Porus Khareghat
The Catch - Sam Avery
Markets for Conservation: Reining in the Wild Horse Crisis - Holly Fretwell
Anegada- Land of the Iguanas - Madeleine Westwood
Beauty and the Bees - James Bateman
When Roads Meet Wildlife Migration Paths - Katrina Bellefeuille
Golden - Charles Post
To BOLDly Go - Josh Silberg and Katrina Pyne
The Bee Rescuer - Bidit Roy
The Sixth Extinction - Klopas Oey
The Puddle - Rob Tiffin
(Re)Connecting Wild - Jake Willers
Reef Revolution - Rebecca Pratt
Flying With Spider Monkeys - Luis Palomino BenÃtez and Molly Ferrill
- All submissions should be 1-10 minutes long, unless submitting as a "feature film", and should be primarily original footage taken by the submitter or their team members (i.e., little or no stock footage). The submitter must have received permission to use any non-original audio (i.e., music) or video content. Video quality should be HD to facilitate in-theatre screening.
- All submissions should be based on scientifically-accurate information, and with the exception of "wild side" submissions, must include at least some verbal communication, which should be in English (or subtitled).
- Film makers should indicate which category they think their submission should fall under (although we reserve the right to change submission categories as needed).
- All submissions may be used in our film festival outreach activities during subsequent years.
- Each film maker may only submit 2 films total, and each film must be in a separate category.
- Top entries will be determined by a panel of judges from the wildlife and creative professions.
- The top 2 entries and the best student film from each of the 4 categories will be screened at our festival along with other official selections as screen time allows, plus one longer (10-15 minutes) feature film.
The Fish & Wildlife Film Festival at the University of Idaho is dedicated to enhancing knowledge and stewardship of wild nature, including fish and wildlife, the wild landscapes they depend on, and the communities that they sustain.
Through our film festival, we challenge filmmakers at all levels, from K-12 students to university students and professionals, to develop and share dynamic films that excite and engage for the benefit of nature and natural resources.
Below are our winners in each category, as well as official selections.
| Decision | Category | Filmmaker | Project Title |
| 1st | Animal Behavior and Ecology | Kori Price | The Anomalies: Venom Race |
| 1st | Feature Length (10-16min) | Scott Dobson | Fix And Release |
| 1st | Science and Research | Ben Masters & Charles Post | Return of the Texas Bighorn |
| 1st | Wild Side | Carol Chambers | Six Mile Stretch |
| 1st | Wildlife-Human Connections | Adam Cole | The Hopeful Tale Of A Doomed Fox |
| 2nd | Animal Behavior and Ecology | Chris Orr | The Flow of Life |
| 2nd | Feature Length (10-16min) | Jane Fugate | Messengers: The Owls of Mescalero |
| 2nd |
Science and Research | David Garrison | 1000s of Bugs, 100 Islands, 1 Happy Entomologist |
| 2nd | Wild Side | Erin Anfinson | In the Tallgrass |
| 2nd | Wildlife-Human Connections | Kori Price | Forgotten But Not Gone: The Pacific Fisher |
| Grad Student Winner | Animal Behavior and Ecology | Tiffany Deater | Life of the Sengi |
| Grad Student Winner | Feature Length (10-16min) | Brian Gersten | Caviar Dreams |
| Grad Student Winner | Science and Research | Ashley Siana | Yellowstone Invader |
| Grad Student Winner | Wild Side | Nicolas De oliveira |
Offhand |
| Grad Student Winner | Wildlife-Human Connections | Yegane Moghaddam |
On the Cover |
| Official Selection | Wildlife-Human Connections | Brita Olson | Roots: Bringing back the Bull River |
| Official Selection | Feature Length (10-16min) | Emily Bergstrom | Time for the Grizzly? |
| Official Selection | Feature Length (10-16min) | Dimitri Martin Genaudeau |
The Bark Beetle of Šumava |
| Official Selection | Feature Length (10-16min) | Gunjan Menon |
The Firefox Guardian |
| Official Selection | Feature Length (10-16min) | Nardine Groch |
The Great Pretender |
| Official Selection | Science and research | Michael Lucid |
Multi-species Baseline Initiative: Winter Bait Stations |
| Official Selection | Science and research | Danny Copeland |
Tracking Snow |
| Official Selection | Wild Side | Alexis Morisson |
Hypoxia |
| Official Selection | Wildlife-Human Connections | Kori Price | The Path Back |
We received over 120 submissions from more than 30 countries around the world. Below are our winners in each category, as well as official selections.
| Decision | Category | Filmmaker | Project Title |
| 1st | Science and research | Meigan Henry | Mexican Fishing Bats |
| 1st | Ecology and behavior | Mike Johnson | Oceanic Aliens |
| 1st | Science and research | Tracy Graziano | Ruffed Grouse |
| 1st | Wildlife-human connections | Daniel Schmidt | Running Wild |
| 1st | Wild side | Mark Burchick | The Local Oyster Stout |
| 1st | Feature-length film | George Olah | The Macaw Project - Biologists, Ecotourists and Local Communities for the Amazonian Rainforest |
| K12 1st | K-12 Student | Tia Vierling | The Fin of the Shark: A Cautionary Tale |
| K12 2nd |
K-12 Student | Avery Caudill | Return to the River |
| K12 3rd | K-12 Student | David Benjamin | The Bird Painter |
| Runner up | Ecology and behavior | David Garrison | Beauty and the Feast: When Herring Come to Spawn |
| Runner up | Wildlife-human connections | Shaktiraj Jadeja | HOME |
| Runner up | Wild side | Victoria Osborn | Stream That I Call Home |
| University student 1st | University Student | Robert Glowacky | Bringing Back Bodrik |
| University student 2nd | University Student | Itai Hagage | Below 0¡ |
| University student 3rd | University Student | Cody Dey | The Birds and the Bears |
| Official Selection | Science and research | Meigan Henry | Auditing the Blue Blood Bank |
| Official Selection | Wildlife-human connections | Scott Rulander | Clark Fork River Delta "Restoring Wildlife Habitat for Future Generations" |
| Official Selection | Wildlife-human connections | James Gregg | Climate Change PSA |
| Official Selection | Wildlife-human connections | Jeremy Roberts | Cold Waters (short) |
| Official Selection | Wild Side | James Gregg | Fun Facts About Goats |
| Official Selection | Wild Side | Nadasdy Film | Habitat |
| Official Selection | Science and research | Meigan Henry | Here Be Tiny Dragons (and Other Micro Beasts) |
| Official Selection | Science and research | Jeremy Roberts | Saving Ferrets with Peanut Butter and Drones |
| Official Selection | Science and research | Nick Brown | The Kodiak Brown Bear Project |
Co-Directors:
Sophie Gilbert, Lisette Waits
Planning Committee:
Faculty - Kerri Vierling, Chris Caudill, David Roon, Russell Meeuf
Graduate Students:
Ian Smith, Nicole Bilodeau