Winner: "66 Meter"

Calmly and informatively, in plain words, this film highlights one of the consequences of climate change that should have us all on high alert: the increasing flooding of entire swathes of land. But this is not solely due to the melting of the polar ice caps – and therefore the rise in sea levels – as the film’s writers Max Mönch and Alexander Lahl reveal. There are many unknown factors too, which science has yet to work out.

What’s clever about this documentary is the way it pulls together a complicated evidence base and explains the facts in such a way that, despite a gloomy forecast, you feel you’ve learned a lot. The global approach, animations and interviews make complex issues understandable for the layperson as well. But after these 52 minutes we know we can no longer turn a blind eye: The water is rising. And already the next generation will inhabit a very different world from our own.

Special Mention: "Green Warriors: Paraguay’s Poisoned Fields"

Trapped by a sea of soya plants, a village community faces an invisible enemy. Serious illnesses and deaths among the inhabitants are being attributed to the mass use of pesticides on these fields.

Writer Martin Boudot impressively portrays the suffering of the people, as they battle against major corporations with little chance of winning the fight.

Together with a team of doctors and scientists, Boudot attempts to prove the contamination of the soil and the genetic damage in children. During the filming, he puts himself in danger and turns from journalist into activist. The viewers witness a movement that ends up changing the life of the village community, as the study that Boudot supports makes it all the way to the senate and gives the villagers a voice.

Winner: "Der Bär in mir"

No one gets quite as close to bears as biologist David Bittner. Although, there was one person before him who did: Timothy Treadwell, eaten by a bear in 2003 – right there, in Alaska’s Katmai National Park, where filmmaker Roman Droux is now camping with Bittner, protected only by a wobbly electric fence. Der Bär in mir reveals the irritatingly close bond that the bear researcher has built up with the creatures. While filming, the filmmakers start to have doubts... Is what we are doing here okay?

The NaturVision jury thought long and hard about whether they should reward this dangerous pushing of the limits. But Der Bär in mir remains an outstanding nature film, with stunning images and an obvious respect for the animals despite the close proximity. The self-doubt of the filmmaker and the biologist become an integral part of the story, with both reflecting critically on their actions. Also because this film makes us think and prompts us to question the relationship between humans and animals, the German Wildlife Film Award 2020 goes to Der Bär in mir. But with a caveat: Don’t try this yourself.

Winner: "Die Wälder des Nordens"

They are home to wolves, elks and tigers: the boreal forests of the north. They store more carbon than all the rainforests put together and, as such, are crucial for the world’s climate. Where permanently frozen ground is mostly covered in metre-high snow, and summer is dominated by drought, conifers and ground-cover plants are accustomed to fire. Some plants even need the flames to survive. But since humans have been heating the planet artificially, the fires have been too frequent and too severe for the snow forests to adjust.

With breathtaking aerial images, deep insights into evolution, ecology and biodiversity, and side trips to the inhabitants of this climate zone – large and small – Kevin McMahon has succeeded in producing an entertaining and important film from a difficult-to-access and often-overlooked region of the Earth.

Winner: „Traces“

Branches break as a gigantic tree trunk is pulled through the undergrowth by a horse.

Highly authentic and yet fairytale-like, this film tells the story of a woodcutter who suspects he is the last representative of his craft. But a girl who documents his work in drawings will eventually follow in his footsteps. At the same time she takes on the role of the mystical forest whisperer in the film.

Traces captivates you with its poetic images and quiet narration, simultaneously conveying the hope that, even in today’s highly industrialised world, there is a chance of preserving old, valuable traditions.

Special Mention: "The Flying Gold of Arabuko“

Africa is a continent shaped by exploitation. Its natural resources are still being plundered for our industrial nations under the harshest conditions.

Charo Ngumbao used to work as an illegal logger and poacher in the last untouched primeval forest on the east coast of Africa. But he has left this life behind him and today works as a butterfly farmer, from which he not only makes a good living but also does his bit to preserve the Kenyan forest.

This film not only presents a virtually unknown, sustainable industry. With its close-up style, it also lets the viewer get very close to the protagonist, allowing very personal insights that represent the fate of many people in Kenya.

Winner: "Libellen – Funkelnde Jäger"

Small insects make a big impression in this film!

The delicate hunters flit, sparkling, over the surface of the water, wowing the viewers.

Presenting dragonflies so artistically calls for a skilful, passionate and dedicated cameraman like Kevin Flay. In this film he manages to paint a portrait of the stunning insects with the camera and make their important role in the animal kingdom visible to the wider public.

Flay’s special skill is revealed in the captivating close-up and macro shots above and below the water. He leads the audience into the fascinating world of the dragonflies and tells the story of their lifecycle in an absorbing but no-holds-barred way – because the lifespan of these interesting insects is brief and fraught with danger.

Winner: "The Elephant Queen"

Victoria Stone and Marc Deeble have produced a classic wildlife film about elephants in Kenya. But its outstanding camerawork sets it apart from other elephant films. The emphasis is clearly on flawless and highly aesthetic images. As DOP, Deeble spent an enormous amount of time following a family of elephants over four years. All the stories in the film are told with the camera, and animals that meet in these stories also do so in classic "two shots" in front of the lens. As elephants normally don’t tolerate any other animals near them, such images are rare and are superbly realised here. The camera is always in the right position and perspective to make the viewer feel they are part of the elephant family. The cameraman plays masterfully with the size differences of the protagonists and observes with humour the relationship of Egyptian geese, frogs, turtles and fish to the elephants.

Winner: „Das Lied der Gibbons“

What starts off like many wildlife films soon develops into a skilful mix of tragic love story and fascinating science documentary. Like thwarted lovers, the Skywalker gibbons are being kept apart. But not by family rivalries – instead, literally, by roads and housing and people. The film not only tells us the story of a rare (new) species of gibbon which, barely discovered, is already threatened with extinction; it also tells us about dedicated researchers who refuse to just sit by and watch the enchanting Skywalkers disappear. Without humanising the wild gibbons or giving them names, and despite a great deal of factual information on the biology of the animals, the film builds up a touching closeness to these great apes. The fate of the lonely singer whose call is not heard gets under the skin, also because it becomes clear that many species on our planet share a similar fate, as we humans carve up and destroy their habitats.

Special Mention: "Bamboo Stories"

What a visually stunning complete work of art! Anyone who has not taken much notice of Bangladesh before now will, at the latest after these 96 minutes, see the country with fresh eyes. With poetic images, the director depicts the transportation of bamboo timbers and paints a picture of an archaic society dominated by abject poverty and corruption.

As Shaheen Dill-Riaz follows his characters deeper and deeper into the bamboo forests of Bangladesh, nature emerges as the central character along the way. For him it’s no Garden of Eden, it’s unpredictable and cruel, powerful and beautiful. Only their respect for the natural resources like water and wood guarantee the survival of his likeable heroes. These people, who cope with life under the toughest conditions, don’t need our pity – instead, we take our hats off to them.

Winner: "Im Reich der Wolga – Ein Strom wird zum Meer"

Oliver Heuss has composed superb, poetic music for Im Reich der Wolga – Ein Strom wird zum Meer, which optimally underpins the film in its charming and emotive arrangement. The dramatic quirks of the film are perfectly and lovingly carved out down to the smallest detail, and sometimes with subtle humour. The score is dramatically and musically excellent, scenically applied with virtuosity alongside the animal figures and the impressive landscape, and authentically produced with impressively high quality. All this results in a distinct soundtrack fit for a concert, whose individual artistic expression can also be enjoyed separately from the images.

Winner: "Die verrückte Welt der Hörnchen"

What we like about this film is that it taught us a lot about the world of squirrels and it is never boring. We not only found out that there are all different kinds of squirrels, but we could also see on a globe that was drawn like a hazelnut where the squirrels are found. The beautiful images showed lots of details from the life of the animals which you don’t see otherwise, but also the narration always came at exactly the right places and explained a lot to us really well. We were amazed that squirrels can even win a fight against a cobra. An exciting, funny film! We are all squirrel fans now.

Special Mention: "Anna und der wilde Wald“

What we especially liked about this film was that Anna shows how much you can see and discover in our forests. It’s funny when Anna meets Woife, who very lovingly takes care of animals in the forest. Because it was filmed over a long time, you can properly witness the development of two beech martens and a tawny owl. We were amazed at how trusting these wild creatures were with Woife and Anna.

The images from the camera trap, which also recorded wolves, were exciting too. The film makes you want to visit the forest, and is also suitable for younger kids, as it explains everything brilliantly.

Winner: "Life on the Rocks"

June Nelson remembers – and we listen, spellbound, from the very first second. Because her story tells of much more than just her love for her husband, ornithologist Bryan Nelson, and their years together on a remote rock in the sea. In captivatingly beautiful black-and-white images, Life on the Rocks not only develops a visual impact, but the dramatic composition, music, editing and camerawork create an emotional pull. Director George Pretty proves – in just twenty minutes – that you only need a few filmic stylistic devices to turn the biography of a likeable nature lover into a universal statement against the destruction of habitats, industrialisation and species extinction. The work of the British Film and Television School shows true mastery and a unique, clear hallmark.

Special Mention: "Exploring Hans Hass"

Biology student Oliver Bruck is only really browsing the Internet for books about his idol, diving pioneer and filmmaker Hans Hass. But what he finds is a garage full of old film reels of Hass. Thank goodness, you find yourself thinking, that this legacy fell into his hands, because Bruck, together with Sebastian Postl, turns the find into an affectionate filmic tribute to the man, scientist and great diver. The film skilfully weaves together old and up-to-date footage and takes the time to discover and shine a light on the person behind the media star Hans Hass in insightful conversations with people who knew him. Some of these contemporary witnesses, like the behavioural scientist Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, have since passed away, so it’s all the nicer that Oliver Bruck has preserved their memories and insights into bygone days of scientific adventurers and exotic expeditions.

Winner: "The Beauty"

The Beauty brings the man-made pollution of the oceans home to the audience in a new way. Instead of showing the viewers how terrible our world has become and everything we’re doing wrong, the film seeks to show them how beautiful it is and why we should protect it. Just four minutes long, this short uses all possibilities of the medium of film emotionally, visually and creatively. This works not only through creative symbolism and storytelling, but also with beautiful, impressive visual effects. The film really impressed us, because – even though the subject of marine pollution is often addressed these days – The Beauty, with its innovative execution, manages to captivate and shock the audience in equal measure. Expressiveness and vividness take the place of lengthy explanation. A film that plays by its own rules!

Winner: "Anders Essen: Das Experiment"

This film draws attention to the changes in global land use. To illustrate the resulting effects, a field was planted that was equivalent to the average-size area, both in Germany and abroad, that we need to feed ourselves. The film follows three families and their self-experiment to see if they can reduce the acreage they need and the CO2 emissions they produce for their food. It highlights the problems of our diet and the associated consumer behaviour.

One of the main reasons for our decision was that the film is so realistic and offers concrete solutions. It drives home how everyone can reduce their land consumption, and with it the negative impact on the environment, by changing their eating habits. It becomes clear that when it comes to the destruction of ecosystems, the buck stops with us.

Winner: "Aus Liebe zum Überleben"

In this report we get to know eight people – organic farmers and food producers from Bavaria – who have visions they are realising for the benefit of wildlife, nature and the environment. The film takes us on a journey through their world and provides plenty of background knowledge on sustainable production of meat, dairy produce, vegetables, cereal crops and beer.

Producer and writer Bernd Verhaag has managed to deliver a film with a special sensitivity to the living environment of the organic farmers, which allows us to share in the thoughts and feelings of the protagonists. These are extraordinary Bavarians that we meet here. With them we experience their love of their animals, their respect for the land, and the realisation that fighting against nature is a losing battle. In his film, Verhaag lets all the characters speak for themselves, thus winning the hearts of the viewers. In this way, he invites us all to reflect on our own consumption habits. A film with a lasting impact for the love of survival!