Wildlife Nature Film Festival

This year the festival will take place on 3-6 November 2004 and will include a nature film competition consisting of 5 different categories: Best Festival Film Overall, Best Long Film, Best Short Film, Best Children & Youth Film, Best Film containing an environmental message.

Soon after establishing the Nature Centre in Vaasa arranged an international nature film festival called Wildlife Vaasa 2002. This was the first time such a festival had been held in Finland, and it was a great success. The event hosted 81 nature film entries from 14 different countries around the world. Wildlife Vaasa 2002 festival was organised together with Wildlife Europe Ab from Sundsvall - Sweden, with whom it was agreed to continue organising and hosting the festival on alternative years in Finland and Sweden respectively. This year it is Vaasa turn to organise and host the festival.

From an educational perspective, Wildlife Vaasa 2004 will also be celebrating the Finnish Art Commission's Year of Children and Youth Film. One of our educational objectives is to help to integrate nature films into schools by introducing them as effective environmental educational tools. Therefore, Wildlife Vaasa 2004 will add two more weeks of school screenings to the festival programme (one week before the festival and one week after). Panel discussions, seminars and wildlife presentations will also be included in our educational programme during the festival.

Wildlife Vaasa 2004 is also a multicultural event that will be widely accessible to both the local public and visitors from around the world. Cultural events, parties and a nature tour into the pristine Finnish wilderness will be organised during the festival days to help celebrate the theme of Nature.

Nature filmmakers from around the Baltic region and especially from Cities of the UBC Network are mostly welcome to participate or come to Vaasa.