The Birdwatchers - award-winning nature documentary

What does it mean to be a birdwatcher? Why is access to nature important? What makes someone get up at 3 a.m. to go birdwatching in the pouring rain?

My goal for 2024 was to make a short documentary off my own back. I self-funded, directed, shot and edited this little film about birdwatching in London, saying to myself that if it encouraged just one person to take environmental action it would be a success.

The response has blown me away.

It has been screened across the UK as well as in Canada and Colombia, where I introduced it in (clumsy) Spanish.

It has been selected for 12 film festivals and nominated for 8 awards, including Best Documentary at the BIFA-qualifying Sunrise Film Festival.

It has won 4 awards: Best Documentary and Audience Choice Award at Starling Film Festival, Environmental Awareness Award at Greenwich Film Festival, and the Environmental Narrative Award at Novella Film Festival.

It was included in Substack's weekend choice to watch in November.

Massive thanks to contributors and conservationists Clare McGann, Lira Valencia, Rianna Badesha and Caroline Nash; to London Wildlife Trust for providing access and expertise; to Michael J McEvoy for a beautiful bespoke score; and Zanna Berry for the grade.

On to the next one. If you have stories to tell about people standing up for humanity and its environment, let me know. It doesn’t have to be about birdwatching!

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