Here The Wild Things Are

For one weekend each year, Aotearoa enters a high-stakes global competition that sees thousands of ecologists and enthusiasts scour cities to take as many photographs as possible and hopefully discover new species. While it’s a playful quest for many, New Zealand's ecologists see it as an opportunity to climb an international leaderboard. But the game changes when it poses a bigger question: can these snapshots contribute to saving the planet, one photo at a time?

We need your support to tell this important story on Loading Docs’ award-winning short documentary platform. 

THE FILM

Against an urgent backdrop of a biodiversity crisis where species are vanishing at alarming rates and the threat of a sixth mass extinction event looms large, ecologists from Wellington and Christchurch are on a mission to empower their communities not just to document nature but combat the human tendency to ignore it, especially in cities. As the burden of ecological concern becomes too much to bear, they’re hoping this challenge can ignite a global movement for conservation and preservation. But can a photograph really save the planet?

Through the lens of the competition, we follow the eclectic mix of participants – from seasoned scientists to passionate amateurs – as they traverse cityscapes, uncovering the oddities of urban nature hiding in plain sight.  

Here the Wild Things Are is about hope and perseverance when the odds are stacked against you, finding connection and beauty in the obscure, realising that small change can have a huge impact and that even though the scientists and conservationists of the world are highly-intelligent, they need us just as much as we need them.

This is not your ordinary nature documentary. It's wildlife in the city. It's fun, fast-paced, full of joy, hope and wonder. We want people to watch it and walk away with a newfound curiosity for the yellow things growing on their letterbox, the cracks in the pavement and the birds on their morning commute to work.

THE TARGET

We have been developing this film for two years and finally have the opportunity to bring it to life through Loading Docs, but we need your help! As part of the Loading Docs initiative, we need to raise a minimum of $5,000 to pay our crew, cover production costs and hire equipment. But we actually need to raise $8,000 to get to both Wellington and Christchurch to capture the full scope of the competition, interview our talented ecologists, follow contestants and track their progress in the race to the finishing line.

We're taking a risk and going ahead with filming while our campaign is still live so we're really hoping you can help us reach our $8,000 goal to cover costs.

We would love and appreciate any support you are able to offer us, and we are really looking forward to sharing this journey with you.

Loading Docs is an award-winning short documentary initiative to develop New Zealand filmmaking talent. Loading Docs is funded by NZ On Air with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and Te Māngai Pāho.

THE TEAM

Director - Kelly Gilbride

Kelly Gilbride is an award-winning creative producer and director. Previous work includes music videos, theatre productions and the award-winning RNZ 5-part podcast and documentary series The Elephant in the Bedroom, the noted short documentary Asian Men Talk About Sex and the RNZ/The Wireless short documentary Messages To Your Younger Self.

Producer - Madison Smith

With a Bachelor of Communication Studies, Madison has gained over a decade of diverse industry experience across roles in production, art department and post-production. She has worked across different formats on both international productions and NZ local favourites. A 2019 recipient of the Emerging Producer’s workshop (New Zealand Film Commission, SPADA and WIFT NZ), she has gone on to produce music videos, short films and documentary.

Creative Producer - Jennifer Riis Gotrik

An independent documentary filmmaker, photographer and Fulbright Grant Recipient, Jennifer is a photojournalism graduate of the Danish School of Media & Journalism and, since moving to New Zealand, has worked as a content contributor with RE: (TVNZ) on films such as The Family That Lives Zero Waste, Talking About Dying With Someone Who’s Dying, Can Psychedelics Heal Depression?, among music videos and other short films.