Bero Beyer is a film producer and was director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and the Filmfonds, among others. He loves nature films: ‘They open proverbial windows, expand the view and sometimes, very sometimes they open your heart’. In the assessment process, he pays particular attention to the filmmakers’ ability, through narrative, design and use of cinematic means, to make the film rise above their subject. His favourite film is Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi (with the hypnotic music of Phillip Glass). His highlight of 10 years of WFFR? ‘Being a member of the jury! And thus being able to take ample time to watch quite a bit of the programme.’
Arjan Dwarshuis is a birdwatcher, conservationist, writer and motivational speaker. According to him, nature films show the beauty, complexity and value of nature like no other. As a result, people feel the need to preserve and protect nature. In the assessment process, he pays particular attention to storytelling, to what extent the viewer is drawn into the story and whether the film provides food for thought. He also considers the conservation component important. Arjan’s highlight of 10 years of WFFR is the premiere of his documentary Arjan’s Big Year in 2017 and his favourite film is Silence of the Tides.
Aniek Moonen is a climate justice advocate and former president of the Young Climate Movement. ‘It sometimes seems like we have lost our love for nature, but through nature films and documentaries we quickly find it again. They remind us of all the splendour in the world around us, but also of the urgency to protect it all.’ As a jury, she looks for films that manage to touch you, just like her own favourite film The Biggest Little Farm. Her highlight of 10 years of WFFR? The special responsibility of watching AND judging all of this year’s entries!
Filmmaker Cees van Kempen has already won a Flamingo Award twice at WFFR, in 2022 for best film with his Wolf. As a jury member, Kees pays attention – besides the beauty of the images, of course – to whether everything is right in terms of content. He also wants the footage to be technically sound: he doesn’t want to be distracted by ‘flaws’. ‘As a nature filmmaker, I naturally tend to watch a film with maker’s eyes. But sometimes there is a film where I completely forget that, then I get totally absorbed in the images or the story. Those are the best films.’ His favourite film is The Ancient Woods and his personal highlight of 10 years of WFFR is that his film De Terugkeer Van De IJsvogel was allowed to be the opening film of the very first edition of the festival in 2015.
What does forester Marieke love about nature films? ‘They let you discover the world, from distant landscapes to nature around the corner’. As a jury, she pays particular attention to whether the film is factually correct and does justice to the (animal) species. She also likes to see that a film succeeds in making you feel that we are connected to all the fantastic life around us and that that nature is our home that we should take care of. Marieke thinks it is great that WFFR has been offering a stage to nature films for 10 years now and is honoured to be part of the jury during this anniversary edition!
