My Octopus Teacher Scoops Top Award at Jackson Wild Media Awards

Our highly acclaimed production, My Octopus Teacher, has won the Grand Teton Award (Best in Festival) at the annual Jackson Wild Media Awards along with three other prestigious awards: People in Nature (LF), Science in Nature (LF) and Editing.

Hailed as one of the most important nature film competitions on the globe, the annual Jackson Wild Media Awards is judged by a distinguished panel of experts from around the world.  Nominated in a staggering eight categories - more than any other film in this year’s lineup - My Octopus Teacher was up for Best Ecosystem Film, Best People and Nature Film Long Form, Best Science in Nature Film Long Form and Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Music Score and Best Audioscape. 

My Octopus Teacher is a collaboration between the Sea Change Project, an NGO raising awareness of the beauty and ecological importance of South Africa’s kelp forest, Off the Fence and Netflix. This is the first Netflix Original Documentary to come out of South Africa. Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, executive produced by Ellen Windemuth and produced by Craig Foster, My Octopus Teacher is the culmination of a decade of hard work and dedication to showcasing the Great African Sea Forest and the creatures that live in it.

The feature documentary has seen huge success following its release on 7th  September. It recently won Best Feature at Earth X and is in the running for another four conservation film awards this year, including two prestigious Panda awards at the Wildscreen Festival. 

Ellen say's, “This film surprised a lot of people as it was shot on one location, yet appealed to a very wide global audience. It was made by a great team of friends, and addresses relevant issues like mental health, love and the healing power of nature”.