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Film club: One Last Farm
The “Reel Nature” Film clubs concluded the academic year with a screening of “One Last Farm,” directed by Nikki Dodd. This film illustrates the struggles of Yew Tree Farm, a vital biodiversity haven in Bristol. Audience discussions highlighted the importance of valuing nature and encouraged personal connections to local ecosystems. And we finished with this…
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Film Club: Fighting for the Underdog
This month’s film club showcased “Fighting for the Underdog,” a documentary by One Kai. It tells a story about the spurdog shark and emphasises the interconnectedness of marine stakeholders. The film provoked discussions on conservation perspectives, urging the audience to seek underrepresented voices. It highlights the complex relationships between fishermen and the environment, advocating for…
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Imaginary Book club: Bitch
Lucy Cooke’s “Bitch” challenges traditional scientific assumptions about gender, sex and behaviour in the animal kingdom. The book exposes biases and binary thinking in evolutionary biology and calls for a new understanding that shapes our relationship with the more-than-human world. Reading Cooke’s work prompted critical self-reflection as it encouraged me to examine my own biased…
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Imaginary Book club: The Unexpected Truth About Animals
“The Unexpected Truth About Animals” by Lucy Cooke challenges conventional wisdom about nature with its surprising and humorous stories. It prompted me to question societal narratives about the natural world. This thought-provoking book encourages readers to redefine their relationship with nature. Now I urge you to consider the impact of these cultural stories on climate,…
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Imaginary Book club: Queer Ecology
In a world of more time, I dream of hosting a book club to explore “queer ecology”. The field of queer ecology rejects labels and perceived norms, challenging society’s relationship with nature. It also intertwines with my PhD research on Natural History documentaries and their communication of global crises. Take a look for my list…
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Events: Festival for Nature – Netflix’s Life on Our Planet
The Bristol and Bath “Festival of Nature” showcased a diverse range of activities for all ages, including Natural History documentaries and behind-the-scenes insights. The talk about the Life on Our Planet series revealed filmmaking techniques used to frame the prehistoric scenes within the series, while also highlighting the interconnectedness of species today. Through this message,…
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Film Club: Audience recommendations
As part of the monthly environmental film club I run at UWE, Bristol I often get given many brilliant recommendations from the audience members. The discussions after our screenings explore quite a broad range of topics which has so far ranged from creating impact, behaviour change, animal welfare, decolonialisation, climate communication, anthropomorphism and the human/nature…
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MSc research findings: Inspiring climate action through Natural History documentaries
What stories about the climate and ecological crises do natural history documentaries actually tell us? How do filmmakers feel about the entangled crises and their role as storytellers? How can they inspire change? These are the questions that in 2021 inspired my dissertation when studying my MSc in Ecology and Sustainability, at the Centre for…