2022 Winners

BEST FEATURE FILM
The Wild Gardener, directed by John Murray & Jamie Fitzpatrick

Wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson returns home on a very personal project - to turn his old childhood garden into a haven for native wildlife. After 30 years of filming the world’s most iconic creatures, Colin heads back to Ireland and a garden he spent his childhood summers spraying and mowing into a perfect lawn. But now he wants to transform his old playground into a sanctuary for the native plants and animals now struggling to survive on these islands and inspire viewers to do the same.

BEST SHORT FILM

Takeaway, directed by Lou Sumray

A hand drawn tale inspired by the antics of the Bowerbird, that gives an insight into what really happens to all that single use plastic that we use and so recklessly discard.

BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM

Ghost Ponds, directed by Amanda Sosnowski

In the farmland of England, a search and rescue mission is underway. A team is working to excavate land haunted by ghosts… but these are not ordinary ghosts… they are ghost ponds. Norfolk used to have a record number of ponds, but modern-day farming is burying England’s wetlands at an exponential rate. With a looming biodiversity crisis, a grassroots movement is reviving farmland ponds as an unexpected last hope to protect freshwater wildlife.

AUDIENCE CHOICE POPULAR VOTE

Hatchets & Hope - The Killarney Mountain Meitheal, directed by Aoibheann O'Sullivan

An inspiring film about camaraderie, commitment, and the astounding results a small group of passionate nature lovers have achieved.