Short Jury
Fiona Tande
Fiona is a Kenyan conservationist, filmmaker, and founder of Pridelands Films and Africa’s pioneering Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival (PWFF), a platform amplifying African-led narratives in wildlife storytelling. Recognized as a 2024 inductee of The Explorers Club EC50 for her global conservation advocacy, she champions community-driven narratives to bridge cultural heritage and ecological stewardship. A 2025 Changemakers for the Planet Sub-Saharan Africa honoree, Fiona's work empowers marginalized voices, fosters cross-border collaborations, and redefines conservation storytelling—ensuring African perspectives shape global dialogues on nature, culture, and sustainability.
Jason Peters
Jason has been fascinated by wildlife ever since growing up on a farm in Sussex, England. Very early on he developed a deep respect for all that was wild around him. He studied biological sciences, specialising in zoology at university in London, gained work experience at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol and became involved in various conservation projects around the world. Working in the rain forests of Vietnam and in Africa, he went on to study wildlife filmmaking in Cape Town. He worked mainly as a researcher before taking over Wildlife-film.com, a platform connecting the wildlife filmmaking world.
Özgür Arıkan
Özgür began his career in the media industry in 1997 at TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation), gaining significant experience in the field of editing over the years. Initially working on entertainment programs, he gradually followed his passion for documentaries and pursued a career in this field. He has contributed to the production of numerous award-winning documentaries, including wildlife films, at both national and international festivals. He currently continues to work as an editor at TRT.
AyÅŸe Oruç
AyÅŸe works as the Group Manager for Marine, Biodiversity, and Forest Programs at WWF-Türkiye's Nature Conservation Team. She completed her master's degree at Istanbul University’s Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, specializing in Physical Oceanography and Marine Biology. Since 1995, she has been engaged in the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, and wildlife, as well as the effective management of protected areas and the capacity development of local communities. She has played an active role in the preparation of various national and international technical and visual publications. Additionally, she has provided scientific consultancy for wildlife documentaries.
Anastasia Laukkanen
Anastasia has worked in environmental edutainment since 2010 and holds an MSc in Leadership towards Sustainability (Sweden). She co-founded the ECOCUP Green Documentary Film Festival in Russia and CIS countries and collaborated with Türkiye’s International Sustainable Living Film Festival. After ECOCUP, she co-founded Living Lab, an international change agency developing educational programs on sustainability, climate change, and regenerative culture for academia and business. Anastasia lives in Istanbul, trying to figure out life with a toddler. She practices yoga and tries to bring more sustainability into humor like stand up and sitcoms (and vice versa).