Life on the Rocks first student film to win Best Of Festival At IWFF

The International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF) Awards ceremony took place recently where 2020 NFTS Directing & Producing Science & Natural History Graduation film Life On The Rocks enjoyed huge success.

The film won Best Student Film while also being the first student film to be awarded Best Of Festival since the festivals inaugural event in 1977.

Life on the Rocks, Directed and Produced by NFTS alumnus George Pretty, tells the important tale of an ancient volcanic island, home to the world’s largest colony of gannets: the Bass Rock. For three years in the 1960s, June Nelson and her late husband Bryan called it their home, studying the birds and their behaviours. The short film is built around June’s reflections on experiences with her late husband among the gannets.

“This film encompasses so much of what IWFF stands for in its homage to impactful scientific research while grounding the film in the humanity of June Nelson’s stories of the past,” said IWFF artistic director Carrie Richer. “The impeccable black-and-white cinematography is a testament to the many years George Pretty put in as a camera assistant before getting his Masters.”

Life On The Rocks has enjoyed many festival successes since premiering at Picturehouse Central in February 2020 at the NFTS Graduate Showcase including George winning Emerging Filmmaker at Jackson Wild and the Newcomer Award at NaturVision last year.

You can watch Life on The Rocks including a Q&A with George Pretty, among other IWFF selections on the festival’s website until 15 May 2021. Visit here to get your ticket.

Places are still available on the NFTS Directing & Producing Science & Natural History MA. Don’t miss your chance to tell incredible award-winning stories like Life on the Rocks. Find out more and apply here.