Finalists for 2022 World Wildlife Day Film Showcase unveiled

The winners will be announced on March 3, 2022, during the global virtual World Wildlife Day celebration. The films will then be made available for free, educational online streaming throughout the world.

Judges and organizers of the 2022 World Wildlife Day Film Showcase have unveiled the finalists of this year’s contest, highlighting outstanding films in 5 categories, selected from a total of over 300 entries from 34 countries. 

In keeping with this year’s World Wildlife Day theme ‘Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration,’ the Showcase includes films that raise awareness to the world’s most vulnerable species and the power of long-term innovative conservation efforts.

The winners will be announced on March 3, 2022, during the global virtual World Wildlife Day celebration. The films will then be made available for free, educational online streaming throughout the world.

The 2022 Showcase is the sixth film competition jointly organized as part of the annual World Wildlife Day celebrations by Jackson Wild, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The films below have been selected as finalists in five categories:

•             Species in Crisis (Long Form & Short Form) Sponsored by: Discovery

•              The Web of Life (Long Form & Short Form) Sponsored by: HHMI Tangled Bank Studios

•              Stories of Hope (Long Form & Short Form) Sponsored by: Terra Mater Factual Studios

•              People & Threatened Species (Long Form & Short Form) sponsored by Sandiego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

•              Micro Movie Sponsored by: Burgenland

"Films can powerfully communicate the awesome beauty of wildlife, the challenges to its survival, and the inspiring actions being taken to ensure its future” said CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero. “The many remarkable contributions to the World Wildlife Day Film Showcase demonstrate how much talent and enthusiasm exists around the world. These films will deserve large audiences for many years to come," said CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero.

“Throughout human history, stories have connected each of us with one another and the world we share in personal and powerful ways,” said Lisa Samford, Executive Director of Jackson Wild. “This is more crucial now than ever before. Media has the power to accelerate tangible ways we can work together as we restore and protect our planet during these critically important times.”

“This year's World Wildlife Day highlights the need to invest in the protection and restoration of ecosystems as part of broader efforts to respond to closely linked crises of poverty, inequality, biodiversity loss, and the changing climate. In this context, the World Wildlife Day Film Showcase plays a critical role in raising awareness and promoting the importance of conservation within the broader 2030 Agenda", stated Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.