A Special Mention from the jury goes to Puffling by Jessica Bishopp.

Puffling by Jessica Bishopp is a smart and tender combination of coming-of-age narrative and environmental documentary. The short film transports its audience to a remote island off the coast of Iceland as we join a group of young adults swapping nighttime parties for puffin patrol.

Documenting a right-of-passage for both humans and birds alike, this intimate short follows a subtle and restrained approach, which means it never forces its message on its audience and still leaves a reverberating impact. From its opening shot, this documentary declares an exciting directorial vision. As it unfolds, it's quiet observational pace expands to draw moving parallels between its human and animal subjects, both on the precipice of embarking on new journeys.

Collaborating with cinematographer Anna MacDonald and editor ​​Xanna Ward Dixon, Bishopp ensures that the island is a vital part of the story. The way it is displayed is not only immersive but also truly captures its beauty and apparent peacefulness. By opposition, when the girls drive around looking for pufflings, the light pollution is also very much present in the frame, allowing us to understand the impact it has on the lives of these birds.

Through its intimate and tender camera work and the special use of available light, Puffling not only achieves an extraordinary visuality, but through the sensitive editing it always stays close to the protagonists without being too voyeuristic.This closeness allows us to empathize with the young protagonists and so the film does in the best possible way what a good documentary should do. It takes us into an unknown world and opens it up to the viewer.

At the same time the film makes optimal use of the peculiarities of the short film by telling a simple, reduced story that in its implicit meta-levels tells us so much more about our world today. And Puffling gives a hopeful voice to the teenagers of today, growing up in a world that doesn’t seem to have a bright future for them.

Jessica Bishopp has managed to combine all these levels into a very special short film that resonates with the viewer for a long time.

The festival jury 2024
Florian Opitz (director, writer, journalist)
Evelyn Rack (film editor, media artist)
Zara Zandieh (director, filmmaker)