Call for Submissions
We’re now open for submissions for London Nature Films Festival 2025 which will take place in central London during The Great Big Green Week (7th-15th June 2025).
WHAT:
We’re looking for short films and documentaries about our relationship with nature in cities or about the natural world itself, in an urban context. Stories about urban wildlife and rewilding projects, community gardens, how nature supports wellbeing in city life or personal stories of change. We want to explore the different ways people connect with and help nature in urban spaces like London. Animations and photography are also welcome - even a spoken story.
WHERE:
Films from London and other urban areas in the UK.
WHO:
You don’t have to be a professional or even budding filmmaker! We are interested in films from all ages and media abilities. We love unusual, passionate stories of people connecting to nature in our urban, natural world. If you have an interesting project you are involved in and can communicate by camera, we would love to hear from you.
HOW:
Contact us at info@londonnaturefilms.org
Deadline: 1st May 2025.
If you are in production please send your synopsis and completion date. If the film is finished please send a Youtube/Vimeo link.
WHY:
Nature literally takes root everywhere there is water and sunlight. Instead of viewing nature as something in remote places, find nature in the everyday all around you and share the experience!
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London Nature Films
A transformative platform celebrating untold stories from London's green spaces.
Following the success of last summer’s festival in Bethnal Green, with a varied day of unique films and much networking, our next event is 14th & 15th June in central London during THE GROW URBAN FESTIVAL, part of The Great Big Green Week, 7th-15th June 2025.
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Though 48% of London is not built on, it can be hard to maintain awareness of the rich wildlife and land based projects all around us in a city. We screen films about these nature and greening stories in London and other cities in the UK. From rare film screenings and thought-provoking talks to hands-on experiences, we delve into nature conservation, urban gardening and outdoor wellbeing, all through the eyes of filmmakers, animators and everyday heroes of the city’s green spaces.
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​​​​​​​​Parks, vitally, help us connect to self, connect to others and connect to nature. Gardens bring people together, build community and foster the enormous diversity of a multi-cultural city. The films we screen tell these fascinating stories, helping to spread inclusivity and awareness for both long time nature lovers and those just discovering it.
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The festival hosts predominantly films and animation with some stories, poems and visual art. Nature conservation workers, community growers, other practitioners and media creators host Q and A sessions after the showings. We love films from those practically involved in projects, documented over time. LNFs is also a catalyst for forging new connections between filmmakers/creatives and nature-related initiatives in the city.
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Call for Submissions
We’re now open for submissions for London Nature Films Festival 2025 which will take place in central London during The Great Big Green Week (7th-15th June 2025).
WHAT:
We’re looking for short films and documentaries about our relationship with nature in cities or about the natural world itself, in an urban context. Stories about urban wildlife and rewilding projects, community gardens, how nature supports wellbeing in city life or personal stories of change. We want to explore the different ways people connect with and help nature in urban spaces like London. Animations and photography are also welcome - even a spoken story.
​
SECTIONS:
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Connecting to Urban Nature – Films about experiencing and engaging with nature (video portraits, documentaries, experimental).
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Wilding the City – Stories about fostering and conserving biodiversity (documentaries).
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Growing Urban Food – Films on public and community gardens (documentaries).
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Youth & Urban Nature – A film competition for young people (drama and documentary).
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International Urban Nature – Films from cities around the world.
WHERE:
Films from London and other urban areas in the UK.
WHO:
You don’t have to be a professional or even budding filmmaker! We are interested in films from all ages and media abilities. We love unusual, passionate stories of people connecting to nature in our urban, natural world. If you have an interesting project you are involved in and can communicate by camera, we would love to hear from you.
HOW:
Contact us at info@londonnaturefilms.org
Deadline: 1st May 2025.
If you are in production please send your synopsis and completion date. If the film is finished please send a Youtube/Vimeo link.
WHY:
Nature literally takes root everywhere there is water and sunlight. Instead of viewing nature as something in remote places, find nature in the everyday all around you and share the experience!
Connect with Us
London Nature Films
128 Lower Clapton Road, London, E5 0QR
Tel: 0779 4671832
​Please join our mailing list:
instagram: @londonnaturefilms
Meet the Team
ADITI SING Co Producer
​Aditi is a researcher, analyst, and aspiring storyteller deeply attuned to the natural world and human experiences. She holds an M.A. in Social Anthropology from SOAS, University of London, where her thesis explored the agency of plants in indigenous psychedelic healing practices, and an M.A. in International Development Practice from Monash University, emphasizing gender, conflict, and sustainability. This educational background has deepened her connection to non-human worlds and complex social dynamics. Aditi's interests lie at the intersection of art, culture, and advocacy, focusing on feminist perspectives, diasporic experiences, and environmental concerns.
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Her communications roles have spanned international development across India and Australia, including impactful work with WWF on sustainability projects and supporting her mother's conservation activism. Her professional experience extends to creative outputs, including research and analysis, photography, writing, and ethnography.
Her work seeks to help people rediscover what it means to be wild—to embrace awe, humility, and the rich wisdom of both natural and human worlds.
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CLIVE ARDAGH Founder
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Clive is a filmmaker and nature communicator. For many years, he ran a production company making promotional films and documentaries for a variety of organisations – ranging from nature conservation, agriculture and sustainability to cycling, locally produced food & drink and museums. He has always been fascinated by how people are connected to their environment and to nature. This was deepened from 1997-2017 when he lived in rural northern Norway and worked with schools, artists and culture projects.
His academic research includes two masters degrees; an MSc Holistic Science & more recently an MA Media in Development with a thesis on media and marketing discourses and narratives around re-naturing in the UK. This, combined with many years of experience as a filmmaker, has given him a nuanced, in depth approach to documenting nature and our complex relationship with it. The findings from his MA showed that the prevailing "language" or narrative is of British countrylife and that nature is therefor less accesable, being almost unbranded. This inspired him to make more films in parks where he lives in London and to establish screening opportunities for those being made, especially on the ground, by people close to nature projects.
​Clive thus co-founded London Nature Films, with 8 films, in 2024 and is currently developing it further.
GIUSEPPE INTRIERI Media Content coordinator
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My journey in photography began as a self-taught pursuit, enriched by occasional workshops and, later, formal training: I participated in an intensive professional training course in environmental and naturalistic photojournalism. This course, organized by BLUOCEAN SRL in collaboration with the Calabria Region and sponsored by National Geographic Italia, profoundly transformed my approach to photography.
As part of the program, I prepared a final reportage that served as the foundation for my qualification as an Environmental and Naturalistic Photojournalist. This milestone not only refined my skills but also opened the door to collaborations with renowned publications such as National Geographic Magazine Italia, That’s Italia, Casa in Fiore, InNatura, and others, starting in December 2016.
Today, I run a company based in London, offering comprehensive photography and video services across the UK.
Photography and nature are not just professions for me; they are lifelong passions that have shaped who I am. My mission is to inspire others to see the beauty of the world through the lens, fostering a deeper connection to the natural and human landscapes that surround us.te natural and human landscapes that surround us.
2024 Festival Sunday 30th June
VENUE: Makers Cabinet, 4-8 Vyner Street, Hackney, London, E2 9DG
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2.00pm Wellbeing Garden projects with the NHS in Chelsea (10 mins) Followed by Talk / Q&A
A short film about the Violet Melchett Health & Wellbeing Hub’s garden restoration and their visit to the Chelsea Physic Garden. Talk and Q and A by Dana Camino from LMA West London GP Federation and Susi Barran, NHS Speech and Language therapist about the NHS and gardens and personal experiences.
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2.40pm Brent Gets Wilder (4 mins) by Neil Thompson. Followed by Talk / Q&A
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Wild in Brent project provided opportunities for children who do not have access to green space at home and the repurposing of unused areas in their schools to create wildflower meadows and edible gardens. Alternative View Studios‘ 2D animation ‘Brent Gets Wilder’ tells the story of how LEAP made this happen. The animation was shortlisted in the World Health Organization, Health For All Film Festival 2023, Climate Change and Health category. Caroline D’Souza from Leap and the filmmaker will discuss the film after the screening.
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3.20pm The North Marsh Habitats Project (10 mins) by Ian Phillips. Followed by Talk / Q&A
Short documentary followed by a talk. Ian Phillips’ film about a large renaturing project creating habitat for wildlife on the Walthamstow Marshes. Talk between the filmmaker and ecologist and nature conservationist Nina Hundt about their various projects in East London with Re Nature London.
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4.00pm Tea break Free tea & coffee.
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4.20pm Time To Grow (5 mins) by Madeleine Hartley Salim. Followed by Talk / Q&A
Short documentary about Time To Grow by Madeleine Hartley Salim; followed by a talk with Greg Frey, Deba Salim and Madeleine Hartley Salim about the importance of food sovereignty, connecting to the land, and the local community through organic small-scale growing. Time to Grow is an initiative in Walthamstow and Hackney that turns peoples unused gardens into community food growing spaces.
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5.00pm A Whole Bunch of Tomatoes (4 mins) by London Documentary Network (Afshin Robin Rohani) Followed by Talk / Q&A
Short documentary by London Documentary Network about The Garden of Earthly Delights – a garden connecting the community through growing food, herbs and flowers and providing an alternate space for people to run workshops, learn new skills, and connect locally. Talk about setting up the space, the challenges and the joys of working collaboratively for a more sustainable and richer community. Followed by a talk with some of the garden facilitators about the importance of food sovereignty, connecting to the land, and the local community through organic small-scale growing.
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5.40pm This Urban Wild Field in Hackney Marshes (20 mins) by Claire Loussouarn and Dominique Rivoal Followed by Talk / Q&A
An art film in Hackney Marsh connecting to a piece of land through the seasons and over the years through movement and film by Claire Loussouarn. Claire, artist, filmmaker and movement practitioner discusses her new book How to be feral: movement practices to re-wild your body. Dominique Rivoal discusses filmmaking and collaborating with Claire in nature.
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6.30pm Oasis Square: Finding Nature in Russell Square (15 minutes) by Clive Ardagh. Followed by Talk
A short film exploring why students, tourists, locals and volunteers come to Russel Square and what form of emotional nourishment the nature there provides them with followed by a discussion afterwards with the filmmaker, Clive Ardagh.
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7.00pm Community get together. An organic, vegan curry cooked on the fire by Ketchurah Revinden will be on sale for £5. Feel free to bring along your own food/drink of any kind, especially from London’s land. There will be a fire to sit around outside and keep warm from.
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8.00pm Our House (1.2 minutes) by Alexis Bamforth
Alexis Bamforth is an artist and ecology catalyst who has been making links between culture and the natural world for over 30 years. He works across all artforms from sculpture to performance to mass gatherings, making public art for social purpose. www.experimenter.eu