Following the heels of a successful inaugural year, the Earth in Focus film festival returns for its second run. Kickstarting the event will be Oceans and Awards Night, where we will celebrate ocean solutions and the filmmakers and photographers who have contributed to making this festival a success through their artistic craft.
Returning this year with a larger programming slate, entrants submitted their works in the areas of nature films and nature photography. The competition this year also expanded its pool for international photography submissions.
This year, Earth in Focus launched their inaugural Media Lab, supporting ten budding storytellers in a 3-month-long programme consisting of masterclasses, hands-on production work and fieldwork, and exclusive networking opportunities.
The filmmakers are split into two groups, each working on a film covering either the topic of coexistence of wildlife in an urbanising society or an oceans film of urbanising coastlines and ocean plastic pollution; these films will be showcased at the festival this year. This initiative is made possible with the support from Dalio Philanthropies.
“By launching this Media Lab, we’re building a community of emerging storytellers and giving them the tools to reimagine how we talk about conservation,” says Daphne Ong, founder and festival director.
The film festival will be held from 31 October to 2 November at The Foundry. The public can expect to enjoy a fun and enriching weekend comprising film screenings, engaging panel discussions, festival booths, and family-friendly workshops run by conservation NGOs.
The opening film of the festival, “Her Shark Story” is directed and produced by Chilean Emmy-nominated cinematographer for the Netflix series “Our Great National Parks”, Ignacio Walker.
The film tells the story of Sofia, a young marine biologist returning to the Galapagos Islands where she reconnects with her father through their shared passion in their mission of preserving whale sharks.
The feature documentary blends important themes of female empowerment, family reconciliation, and ocean conservation through stunning visuals of underwater cinematography shot in 4k, winning Best Director at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2025 and officially selected at over ten international festivals.
Other festival film highlights include: “Would You Still Love Me If I Were a Sticky Frog?”, an edgy film that promises to disrupt your view of nature through a love story intertwined with an environmental message about conservation.
“Leopard Dynasty – The Rise of Rana”, a nature documentary filled with drama and a Bollywood twist, follows the story of Rana, a young leopard, as he challenges his father for the kingdom of Jhalana, a forest that belonged to the Kings of Jaipur.
Festival panels include topics such as Shells to Shore: Keeping Turtles and Oceans alive, featuring turtle biologists, and Journeys to Justice: Rethinking wildlife tourism for a thriving planet, touching on perspectives of responsible travel.
Notable people involved in the festival include Nadya Hutagalung, United Nations Environment Goodwill Ambassador, TV host and media personality, and creator of “Let Elephants Be Elephants”, a documentary that shines a light on Africa’s escalating poaching crisis and the growing demand for ivory in Asia.
Chien C. Lee, a wildlife biologist and award-winning photographer who will be running a masterclass on DSLR camera trapping in rainforests, is also a judge of the competition.
Jacqueline Farmer, executive producer of Leopard Dynasty, director and producer, and founder of Nature Through Her Eyes, a movement and program that aims to celebrate and highlight the work of women in natural history filmmaking, storytelling, and related fields, is also a judge of the competition.
Emmy-nominated cinematographer, Director and Producer, Ignacio Walker, who will be here to share about the making of Her Shark Story, and young emerging wildlife filmmaker from Malaysia, Myles Storey who will be in Singapore to talk about his film, “Would You Still Love Me If I Were a Sticky Frog?” and Aishwarya Sridhar, the Director and Cinematographer of Leopard Dynasty, who is also a Nat Geo Explorer, and an emerging fellow in the International League of Conservation Photographers.
Families can also get involved through hands-on workshops so that they can be better equipped to become future leaders in conservation and sustainability.
Some workshops include Jembrana Jellies – making delicious jellies from mangrove plants by NUS College, Tote-ally Tee led by ZeroWaste SG, where participants will learn how to upcycle their t-shirts into tote bags. There will also be a VR Lounge with 360 films that transport viewers virtually to conservation sites around Southeast Asia.
Supporting the film festival this year is Naumi Hotels, known for their sustainability-led design, such as repurposing existing structures of new constructions and the elimination of single-use plastic.
Notably, their robes tell the story of empowerment where they are handmade by women from slum communities in Mumbai, India, and crafted using waste cotton materials.
Ancillary programming around the festival includes:
20 Oct, 2 pm: Kayak Clean Up with Outdoor Adventures at KOKOMO Beach Club, Pasir Ris Park.
1 Nov, 10 am: Deep Time Walk – a transformative journey through 4.6bn years of Earth history via a 4.6km guided walk at Mount Faber in collaboration with AlterCOP and The Transmutation Principle.
Mid-Oct to End Nov: Photography exhibition showcasing the top finalist photos held at Beach Station in Sentosa. Open to the public, they can cast their votes for the People’s Choice Award.
1-30 November: Some of the films will be screened during Sentosa’s Movie by the Beach, happening every Friday and Saturday in the month of November on the rooftop of Kidzania, free to attend.
Earth in Focus Singapore Nature Film Festival 2025 details:
Oceans & Awards night (limited tickets): Fri, 31 October 2025, 6 pm–10 pm
Open to the general public: Sat & Sun, 1 & 2 November 2025, 12 pm–9 pm
Festival Party at Naumi Hotel (limited tickets): Sat, 1 Nov 2025, 7.30 pm – 10.00 pm
Venue: The Foundry, 11 Prinsep Link, Singapore 187949
Ticketing:
All activities at the festival, including film screenings, are ticketed at: $10 – $15 per segment – each segment includes at least 1-2 films and panel discussions.
There will be limited tickets made available for the awards night and the festival party, priced at $30 and $38 per ticket, respectively.
Tickets will be available for sale through Eventbrite from 15 September 2025.
More information will be made available at www.earthinfocus.co.
About Earth in Focus:
Earth in Focus is the biggest environmental film festival in Singapore. It celebrates the natural world through the cinematic lens of thought-provoking films, photography, and art.
About the organisers:
This festival is conceptualised and managed by Wild Space, a conservation organisation which runs educational and hands-on nature and biodiversity programs to inform and educate, so everyone can play a part in conservation.
Wild Space was founded by conservationist Daphne Ong in November 2022. Daphne holds a Master’s degree in biodiversity and conservation from the University of Leeds. She wishes for the festival to become a beacon of hope for environmental consciousness in the region.
For further information, please visit:
Website: www.earthinfocus.co
Social media: www.instagram.com/earthinfocus.co
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