Innsbruck Nature Film Festival

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Facade of the Metropol Cinema during the innsbruck nature film festival in 2024 Foto Fassade Metropol.jpg
Facade of the Metropol Cinema during the innsbruck nature film festival in 2024

The innsbruck nature film festival (inff) is an annual film competition focusing on nature, environment, and sustainability. Based in Innsbruck, Austria, it was founded in 2001 by the Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsman, Johannes Kostenzer. In 2013, the festival transitioned from local nature film days to an internationally oriented competition. [1] By 2024, the festival attracted a total of 12,640 visitors who participated in various event formats, including film screenings, discussion panels, and supporting programs. [2]

Contents

1. Film Festival

Since its inception, the inff has evolved from a regional event to an internationally recognized competition. The organizer of the festival is the non-profit association Nature Festival. [3]

The festival is an IMDb-qualifying event, showcasing films, documentaries, animations, and reports on nature, sustainability, and environmental issues. Each year, approximately 60 curated films are presented, with local and international filmmakers and experts participating in Q&A sessions and panel discussions. The program includes films with broad appeal as well as specialized niche productions. Many films celebrate their Austrian premieres at the INFF, with some even having their European and world premieres, such as Animal Pride [4] and Greina [5] in 2024.

2. Film Competition

Awards of the innsbruck nature film festival Inff 2024 Awards.jpg
Awards of the innsbruck nature film festival

The competition receives numerous film submissions from various countries annually, with entries from over 107 nations in recent years. An international jury selects winners in several categories. This jury regularly consists of esteemed person from the film industry and the environmental sector, such as Mariette Rissenbeek, former managing director of the Berlin International Film Festival; Christian Berger, director and Oscar-nominated cinematographer; Oliver Goetzl, German wildlife filmmaker; and Diana Garlytska, regional vice-chair for Western Europe of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication.

The festival awards films in the following categories:

Special awards focus on thematic areas such as biodiversity, water, or soil. Additional honors, like the Wild Women Award and the Christian Berger Cinematography Award, recognize outstanding achievements by female directors, cinematographers, or in visual storytelling. The total prize money amounts to €22,500. [6]

3. Complementary Program during the Festival Week

3.1. Nature Experiences

Fohn Excursion at Karwendel Nature Park Fohn Excursion inff.jpg
Föhn Excursion at Karwendel Nature Park

The main venue of the festival is the Metropol Cinema in Innsbruck. In addition to film screenings, a thematic exhibition is held annually in the cinema's foyer—for example, the 2024 exhibition on soil, developed in collaboration with the State of Tyrol. The program aims to provide visitors with a multisensory approach to current environmental topics. At the inff visitor desk and the Directors’ Café in the cinema foyer, attendees can engage in discussions. [7]

A central component of the supporting program is the Experiences, an offering open to all interested parties. This format includes interactive workshops, guided tours, multimedia installations, and themed activities that provide practical access to environmental and sustainability topics. The goal is to engage visitors who may not plan a formal festival visit, offering them the opportunity to explore current environmental issues in a relaxed atmosphere. Highlights include the annual Föhn excursion on the Nordkette, the Zum Kuckuck open-mic sessions in collaboration with Patagonia, guided nature hikes in the Karwendel Nature Park, and in 2023, a focus on night nature experiences in cooperation with Dark Sky International, whose director, Ruskin Hartley, was a guest at the inff. [8] [9]

3.2. Educational Initiatives

inff collaborates with local schools and the University of Innsbruck to offer dynamic learning experiences during the festival. These include curated film screenings on environmental issues, interactive Q&A sessions with filmmakers, and expert-led seminars in ecology and environmental science. In partnership with Natopia, a nature education organization, INFF also hosts school screenings to inspire young audiences. Science Glimpses further enrich the program by integrating scientific research with film narratives, deepening understanding of environmental topics. [10]

3.3. Industry Meeting

The festival also serves as a meeting place for filmmakers, television executives, and production companies. In addition to seminars and workshops, other events such as scientific lectures, networking events, and guided expeditions are offered to promote professional exchange. Since 2023, a special B2B segment called "Cineleaves" has been established, focusing on networking between the film and publishing industries. [11]

3.4. Art and Film

A particular focus of the inff is the connection between art and film. As part of the Green Arthouse series, films offering new narrative approaches to environmental topics are showcased. In 2024, Austrian artist and environmental activist Edgar Honetschläger opened the festival with a performance on insects and presented his film Midas Ants. [12] Additionally, Colombian photographer Nicolas Valentin exhibited a gallery of large-format insect photographs. [13]

4. International Networking

The festival positions itself as a European platform for exchange among filmmakers, production companies, and broadcasters. inff collaborates with the Alpine Convention, is a member of the Green Film Network and cooperates with the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication. In 2024, Festival Director Johannes Kostenzer received the IUCN CEC West Europe Award for his contributions to nature education. [14]

5. Outreach Program year-round

To reach audiences beyond traditional festival venues, several outreach formats have been developed:

5.1. Campus Cinema

Campus Cinema is a collaboration between the inff and the University of Innsbruck. Festival films are screened at the university and followed by discussions with experts from fields such as microbiology, ethnology, ecology, and geography. Films like Outgrow the System and the award-winning Kosmos Erde – Planet Soil were shown in this context. [15]

5.2. inff on tour

Through inff on tour mini-film festivals are organized in various Tyrolean communities. These events combine film screenings with expert panels, workshops, and other interactive elements. In just two years, 20 events were held in ten communities, such as the Ötztal Nature Park, [16] Pettneu am Arlberg, [17] and the Karwendel Nature Park, [18] attracting over 1,600 visitors in 2024. The aim is to promote access to cultural and environmental education offerings, especially in rural and peripheral regions. [19]

5.3. inff en voyage

With inff en voyage the festival program is expanded internationally. In October 2024 inff engaged in the Regional Conservation Forum of the IUCN in Brugge with Short-Films and one Feature length film as well as in the Austrian Cultural Week in Muscat, Oman, with four Austrian productions over the course of four days – featuring dedicated sessions for adults and kids. [20]

6. EU-Project Food on Film

The inff is also a cooperation partner in the EU-funded project Food on Film. As part of this project, since the fall semester of 2024, 20 school classes from five European countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, France, and Montenegro) have been developing scripts for short films on the topics of nutrition, food production, and the environment. The best scripts will be rewarded with a two-day film workshop, and the completed films are set to be presented at international festivals, including the Mobile Film Festival in France and the inff 2025. [21] [22]

7. Awarded films (selection)

Awarded films
YearCategoryFilm
2013Schnee by August Pflugfelder
2014Best Documentary Virunga by Orlando von Einsiedel
2015Best Nature DocumentaryYellowstone by Oliver Goetzl  [ de ] and Ivo Nörenberg  [ de ] and
Best Environmental Documentary Banking Nature by Sandrine Feydel and Denis Delestrac
2016Best Nature DocumentaryLight on Earth by Joe Loncraine
Best Environmental DocumentaryJumbo Wild by Nick Waggoner
2017Best Nature DocumentaryDusk Chorus by Nika Saravanja and Allesandro D’Emilia
Best Environmental DocumentaryThe Last Pig by Allison Argo
2018Best Nature DocumentaryWhite Wolves - Ghosts of the Arctic by Oliver Goetzl
Best Environmental DocumentaryThe Silver Branch by Katrina Costello and John Brown
2019Best Nature Documentary Sea of Shadows by Richard Ladkani
Best Environmental DocumentaryWelcome to Sodom by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes
2020Best Nature DocumentaryDie Wiese by Jan Haft
Best Environmental DocumentarySheep Hero by Ton van Zantvoort
2021Best Nature DocumentaryThe Loneliest Whale - The Search for 52 by Joshua Zeman
Best Soil Film Kiss the Ground by Josh Tickell and Rebecca Tickell
2022Best Environmental DocumentaryWood - Der geraubte Wald by Ebba Sinzinger, Michaela Kirst and Monica Lazurean-Gorgan
Best Nature DocumentaryPatrick and the Whale by Mark Fletcher
Wild Women Award Taming the Garden by Salomé Jashi
Best Short Film300 Meter - Garzweiler Tagebau II by Ivo Siegler
Best Soil FilmPleistocene Park by Luke Griswold-Tergis
Christian Berger Cinematography AwardPanthère des Neiges by Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier
Best Animation Short FilmL`Air de Rien – Slipping Away by Gabriel Hénot Lefèvre
Best Biodiversity FilmThe Seeds of Vandana Shiva by Camilla Becker and James Becket
2023Best Environmental DocumentaryThe Illusion of Abundance by Erika Gonzalez Ramirez and Matthieu Lietaert
Best Nature DocumentaryKaktus Hotel by Yann Sochaczewski
Wild Women AwardDead Birds Flying High / Die toten Vögel sind oben by Sönje Storm
Best Short FilmWrought by Joel Penner and Anna Sigrithur
Best Short Film4KidsBeavers above town by Yaz Ellis
Best Soil FilmThe Soil Saviors - Im Reich des Regenwurms by Anna Pflüger
Christian Berger Cinematography AwardSleepless Birds by Dana Melaver and Tom Claudon
Best Animation Short FilmSunflower by Natalia Chernysheva
Best Mid-Length DocumentaryThe Dormouse Detectives  - SOKO Gartenschläfer by Rosie Koch and Roland Gockel
2024Best Environmental Documentary Food For Profit by Giulia Innocenzi and Pablo D'Ambrosi
Best Nature DocumentarySongs of Earth by Margreth Olin
Best Biodiversity FilmHunt for the oldest DNA by Niobe Thompson
Wild Women AwardFollow the Rain by Catherine Barbara Marciniak
Best Green Fiction FilmThe Last Rhino by Guillaume Harvey
Best Short DocumentaryDream to Cure Water by Ciril Jazbec
Best Short Film4KidsAnimal Innsbruck by Johannes Hoffmann, Magnus Klammer, Florian Furtschegger
Best Soil FilmPlanet Soil – Kosmos Erde by Mark Verkerk
Christian Berger Cinematography AwardBetween the Rains by Moses Thuranira and Andrew H. Brown
Best Quality of Life in the Alps FilmPiemont –Mit Mulis über Stock und Stein by Philipp Landauer
Best Animation Short FilmOn the 8th Day by Sénéchal, Massez, Debruyne, Carin, Duhautois
Best Water FilmDream to Cure Water by Ciril Jazbec

8. References

  1. ↑ "Homepage of the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival". Innsbruck Nature Film Festival. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "innsbruck nature film festival (inff)". FilmFreeway. 24 January 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Innsbruck Nature Film Festival 8-12 October 2025". INFF. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  4. ↑ Kropshofer, Katharina (15 October 2024). "Queere Tiere: Das erstaunliche Sexualleben der Fauna". FALTER.at (in Austrian German). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "Greina Film". www.greina-film.ch. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "innsbruck nature film festival (inff)". FilmFreeway. 24 January 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Experiences". INFF. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "22. Innsbruck Nature Film Festival von 19. bis 22. Oktober 2023 - Kulturelles Highlight im alpinen Herbst – Vom Kinosaal zum Berggipfel - Programm für Kinder und Erwachsene". www.forum-csr.net (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  9. ↑ red, tirol ORF at (20 October 2023). "Kaunertal will "Sternenpark" werden". tirol.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Film Guide". INFF. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Cineleaves Workshops". INFF. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  12. ↑ Unterthurner, Barbara (8 October 2024). "Seine Kunstwerke sind „Non Human Zones": Edgar Honetschläger ist Teil des Nature Film Festivals 2024". Tiroler Tageszeitung Online (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Experiences". INFF. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  14. ↑ "IUCN CEC Honours Six Exceptional 2024 Regional Awardees - Story | IUCN". iucn.org. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  15. ↑ "Outgrow the System – Universität Innsbruck". www.uibk.ac.at (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  16. ↑ Landesregierung, Amt der Tiroler (26 May 2024). "270.000 € für die Umweltbildung in den Tiroler Naturparken". Land Tirol (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  17. ↑ "innsbruck nature film festival "inff" on tour in Pettneu". Pettneu am Arlberg (in Austrian German). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  18. ↑ "Innsbruck Nature Filmfestival on Tour - Naturpark Karwendel Tirol ⛰️" (in German). 27 January 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  19. ↑ "On Tour". INFF. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  20. ↑ "فعاليات ثقافية وفنية في الأسبوع الثقافي النمساوي ببيت الزبير". جريدة عمان (in Arabic). 31 October 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  21. ↑ "Education". INFF. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  22. ↑ ""Food on Film": il cinema come potente strumento educativo | Europe Direct Firenze". europedirect.comune.fi.it. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
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