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The Wildscreen Festival is internationally acknowledged as the most prestigious and influential event of its kind in the world. Its aim is to celebrate, applaud and encourage excellence and responsibility in the wildlife and environmental filmmaking industry. In doing so, Wildscreen is helping to shape the future of natural history filmmaking, increasing the public's understanding of the natural world, and the need to conserve it.

The Wildscreen Festival first took place in Bristol in 1982. Since then, every two years, Bristol plays host to hundreds of international delegates from the wildlife media industry. People attend the Festival to learn about latest industry developments, as well as to compete in the prestigious Wildscreen Panda Awards.

Delegates are drawn to the Festival by a week-long programme of screenings, debates, keynote lectures, workshops, masterclasses and networking events. In addition, the Wildscreen Festival is a crucial marketplace, where films are bought and sold, where new commissions and contracts are awarded, and where fresh ideas and skills are traded.

Wildscreen is well known for its thought-provoking content and speakers. The week's talks and debates tackle a range of issues, with the content being driven by the predominant themes in the industry. Many hundreds of films from around the world are entered into the Wildscreen Panda Awards and receiving a Panda at the glittering awards ceremony at the end of the week is one of the highest accolades for a filmmaker in the natural history filmmaking industry. The Panda Award categories cover subjects as diverse as animal behaviour and campaigning, as well as specific skills such as editing, musical composition and scriptwriting.

As befits its international standing, the Festival is sponsored by a 'Who's Who' of the industry - broadcasters, filmmakers, camera manufacturers, scientific institutions, as well as businesses with a growing awareness of their environmental responsibilities.

2012 Principal Sponsors: