Co-Sponsored by the University of Montana and IWFF
Keynotes & Awards Ceremony were free to the general public with a Gala that followed the Awards Ceremony.

Keynote: Conservation in Asia, Update on the ground breaking Pamir Workshops

Dr. George Schaller, Vice President of Science and Exploration for the Wildlife Conservation Society, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 30th Anniversary IWFF. Dr. Schaller also gave a Special Address during the 30th IWFF.

As Vice-President of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Science and Exploration Program, Dr. George Schaller has spent most of his life in the field. Born in 1933, Dr. Schaller attended universities in Alaska and Wisconsin, earning his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Schaller has spent most of the past 50 years in the wilds of Asia, Africa, and South America, studying and helping to protect animals as diverse as the mountain gorilla, the giant panda, the tiger, the lion, and the wild sheep and goats of the Himalayas.

George Schaller's studies have also been the basis for his numerous scientific and popular writings and he is the winner of several awards, including the National Book award. Among Dr. Schaller’s notable books --- The Serengeti Lion, Stones of Silence, The Year of the Gorilla, and The Last Panda.

For the past decade, Dr. Schaller has studied wildlife primarily in Mongolia, Laos, and the Tibetan Plateau of China. Two of his most recent books are Tibet's Hidden Wilderness and Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe. His numerous national and international awards for conservation include the International Cosmos Prize (Japan) and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (USA). Presently, Dr. Schaller is working primarily in Iran and Tajikistan.

Also featuring Vanessa Berlowitz, Producer, BBC’s Planet Earth with clips of some never before seen footage.

Best of Festival: “Climate Chaos Season”
BBC, Discovery Channel & Open University Co-production
Executive Producer: Sacha Baveystock
Producer: Jeremy Bristow

Best Narration: “Africa’s Outsiders”
Aquavision TV Productions & Off the Fence
for Animal Planet & Discovery HD
Executive Producers: Peter Lamberti & Ellen Windemuth

Best Use of Music: “The Meadow”
NDR Naturfilm
Director: Jan Haft

Best Educational Value: “Crude”
Australian Broadcasting Company
Executive Producer: Sonya Pemberton
Producer: Richard Smith

Best Scientific Content: “Climate Chaos Season”
BBC, Discovery Channel & Open University Co-production
Executive Producer: Sacha Baveystock
Producer: Jeremy Bristow

Best Animal Behavior: “Bonobo- Missing in Action”
BBC Natural History Unit
Executive Producer: Tim Martin
Producer: Steve Greenwood

Best Cinematography: (Tie Between)
“Pole to Pole” and “Caves”
BBC Natural History Unit
Executive Producer: Alastair Fothergill
Producer: Mark Linfield, Pole to Pole
Producer: Huw Cordey, Caves

Best Sound Design: “Born of Fire”
BBC Natural History Unit & National Geographic
Executive Producer: Mike Gunton
Producer: Patrick Morris

Best Editing: “Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History”
NATURE & Argo Films
National Geographic International & Granada International Co-Production
Producer: Allison Argo

Best Script: “Crude”
Australian Broadcasting Company
Executive Producer: Sonya Pemberton
Producer: Richard Smith

Best Conservation Message: “Climate Chaos Season”
BBC, Discovery Channel & Open University Co-production
Executive Producer: Sacha Baveystock
Producer: Jeremy Bristow

“Battle to Save the Tiger”
Mike Birkhead Associates
Producer: Mike Birkhead

Bets Use of Graphics or Animation: “Secrets of the Deep”
Discovery Channel & BBC Worldwide
Producer: Kera Rennert

Best Use of Natural Sound: “Christmas in Yellowstone
NATURE
Executive Producer: Fred Kaufman
Producers: Janet Hess & Shane Moore

Best Underwater Cinematography: “Cuttlefish- The Brainy Bunch”
Kaufmann Productions
Producer: Gisela Kaufmann

Best of Category Awards

Best Amateur: “Grey Seals: Life on the Edge”
Producer: Jacquie Cozens

Best Animation: “Secrets of the Deep”
Discovery Channel & BBC Worldwide
Producer: Kera Rennert

Best Children’s Program: “Water U Thinking”
Discovery Kids Channel & Mike Young Productions LLC
Producer: Jeff Gordon

“Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue”
Discovery Kids Channel & Spectrum Productions Inc.

Best Conservation & Environmental: “Climate Chaos Season”
BBC, Discovery Channel & Open University Co-production
Executive Producer: Sacha Baveystock
Producer: Jeremy Bristow

“Bonobo- Missing in Action”
BBC Natural History Unit
Executive Producer: Tim Martin
Producer: Steve Greenwood

“Best Ecosystem”
The Meadow
NDR Naturfilm
Director: Jan Haft

Best Government Agency: “Irani Wildlife”
Iranian TV Channel 1
Producer: Mani Mirsadeghi

Best Human-Wildlife Interactions: “Borneo’s Pygmy Elephants”
A Michael Patrick Wong / Off the Fence Co-Production
In Association with
France 3, NDR Naturfilm/
Studio Hamburg
Documentaries, ORF, Animal Planet & Discovery HD
Producer: Michael Patrick Wong

Best Independent: “The Curse of Copper”
True Nature Films
Producer: Jenny Sharman

Red Velvet: “Compass Films”
Producers: Klaus Reisinger & Frederique Lengaigne

Best Music Video: “Ocean Nights”
Foto Dive Studios
Executive Producer: Mieke Vulsteke
Producer: Oliver Kirsch

Best Newcomer: “Woolly Jumpers: Made in Peru”
Discovery Networks International
Executive Producer: Mark Wild
Producer: Adrian Cale

Best News: “Chasing the Bowhead”
Canadian Broadcasting Company
Producer: Bob Hilscher

Best Non-Broadcast: “On Thin Ice”
The Humane Society of the United States
Producers: Kathy Milani & Frank Loftus

Best Point of View: “The Great Indian Tiger Crisis”
Mirror Films Private Limited
Producer: Arindam Mitra

Best Presenter/Host: “Vampire Fish”
Icon Films
Executive Producer: Harry Marshall & Laura Marshall
Producer: Andie Clare

Best TV Program Under $250,000 Budget: “Oldies but Goldies”
NDR Naturfilm
Producer: Jan Haft

Best Television Program $250,000 - $500,000 Budget: “Chimpanzees: an Unnatural History”
NATURE & Argo Films
National Geographic International & Granada International Co-Produciton
Producer: Allison Argo

“Crude”
Australian Broadcasting Company
Executive Producer: Sonya Pemberton
Producer: Richard Smith

Best Television Program Over $500,000 Budget: “Buddha, Bees and the Giant Hornet Queen”
BBC Natural History Unit & Animal Planet
Executive Producer: Tim Martin
Producer: James Honeyborne

Best Television Series Under $250,000 Budget: “Wild Chronicles
National Geographic Television”
Executive Producers: Mark Bauman & Martha Conboy

Best Television Series Over $500,000 Budget: “Climate Chaos Season”
BBC, Discovery Channel & Open University Co-production
Executive Producer: Sacha Baveystock
Producer: Jeremy Bristow

Youth Group – Under Age 13: “Yoki’s Family”
Filmmaker: Jennifer Bell

“Exploring the Everglades”
Filmmaker: Ryan Wham

Youth Group – Over Age 13: “Whale Sharks of Holbox”
Filmmaker: Michael Wham

MERIT AWARDS

Amateur: “O Que Pasa? What’s Going On Here?”
Merit for Presentation of Information

“Snowies”
Merit for Storytelling

“EL”
Merit for Creative Artistry

Animation

“Perfect Shark”
Merit for Educational Value

“Secrets of the Deep”
Merit for Use of Music

Conservation and Environmental

“The Curse of Copper”
Merit for Music
Merit for Portrayal of Conservation Initiative

“Ape Smuggling- The Cairo Connection”
Merit for Investigative Reporting

“Bonobo- Missing in Action”
Merit for Animal Behavior

“Lonesome George”
Merit for Portrayal of Human/Environmental Impact

Ecosystem

“The Meadow”
Merit for Sound Design
Merit for Music

“Born of Fire”
Merit for Cinematography
Merit for Music
Merit for Editing

“Mara- Africa’s River of Destiny”
Merit for Education Value

“Caves”
Merit for Cinematography
Merit for Narration
Merit for Music
Merit for Field Production

Government Agency

“Everyone for Conservation”
Merit for Encouragement of Local Filmmakers

Human-Wildlife Interaction:

“Florida’s Wild Side”
Merit for Cinematography

Independent:

“Ape Smuggling- The Cairo Connection”
Merit for Conservation Message

“Budapest Wild”
Merit for Creative Approach

“Budapest Wild”
Merit for Cinematography

“The Cathedral Forest”
Merit for Conservation Message

“Red Velvet”
Merit for Observational Documentary

Music Video

“Bad to the Bone”
Merit for Innovation

“Ocean Nights”
Merit for Underwater Cinematography

Newcomer

“Longfin”
Merit for Creative Approach

“Wolverines- Hyenas of the North”
Merit for Cinematography

News

“Outdoor Outlaws”
Merit for Coverage of a Local Issue

Non-Broadcast Program

“American Prairie Reserve”
Merit for Outreach

“Everyone for Conservation”
Merit for Conservation Initiative

Presenter/Host
“Climate Chaos Season”
BBC/ Discovery Channel/ Open University Co-production
Merit for Education Value

“Perfect Shark”
Merit for Scientific Information

“Perfect Shark”
Merit for Animation

Television Program Under $250,000 Budget

“Shiretoko Peninsula: Winter of Plenty”
Merit for Educational Value

“Irani Wildlife”
Merit for Creative Approach

“T.Rex: New Science, New Beasts”
Merit for Animation
Merit for Scientific Content

“The Battle to Save the Tiger”
Merit for Conservation Advocacy
Merit for Music

“Wolverines- Hyenas of the North”
Merit for Animal Behavior

“Oldies but Goldies”
Merit for Cinematography
Merit for Music

Television Program $250,000 - $500,000 Budget
“Africa’s Outsiders”
Merit for Script

“Africa’s Outsiders”
Merit for Narration
Merit for Innovative Storytelling

“The Meadow”
Merit for Cinematic Techniques

“Wild Mongolia”
Merit for Human/Wildlife Interactions

“Wild Mongolia”
Merit for Cinematography

“Cuttlefish- The Brainy Bunch”
Merit for Animal Behavior

“Rat Genius”
Merit for Educational Value

“Hyena Queen”
Merit for Animal Behavior

“Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History”
Merit for Powerful Storytelling
Merit for Advocacy

“Christmas in Yellowstone”
Merit for Cinematography
Merit for Music
Merit for Use of Natural Sound

“Crude”
Merit for Editing

Television Program Over $500,000 Budget

“John James Audubon: Drawn from Nature”
Merit for Historical Legacy

Television Series Over $500,000 Budget
“Born of Fire”
Merit for Cinematography
Merit for Music
Merit for Script
Merit for Editing

“Sharks at Risk/Gray Whale Obstacle Course”
Merit for Marine Science

“Ice Worlds/Pole to Pole”
Merit for Graphics
Merit for Music
Merit for Cinematography
Merit for Sound Design

Theatrically Released

“Ocean Voyagers”
Merit for Underwater Cinematography

“Living with Wolves and Dogs”
Merit for Investigative Reporting