2023 Winners

Best of Festival

Best Short Short

Best Short

Best Feature

Best Student Film

Best Youth Program

Best Living with Wildlife Program

Best Animal Behavior Program

Best Wildlife Conservation Program

Best Sustainable Planet

Special Jury Award

Zacharia Mutai of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Jury Statement: Being a caregiver for any other being is already a monumental task, but when that other being is the last of its kind – the last of an entire species…the gravity of that charge is utterly inconceivable to all but a tiny handful of people. As the head rhino keeper , Mr. Mutai bears that burden on behalf of the entire human race, and as we saw in Remembering Sudan, he does so with a gentleness and grace that bestows dignity upon the precious individuals within his care. Zacharia, on behalf of the IWFF, thank you for your passion, your sacrifices, and your great strength.

The Chuck Jonkel Legacy Award

Roy O’Connor

IWFF Statement: The Chuck Jonkel Legacy Award was presented to Roy O’Connor for his steadfast belief in the festival for over 20 years. Roy’s tenure on the IWFF and Roxy Theater Board of Directors contributed to the IWFF’s legacy at the Roxy. Mr. O’Connor’s dedication to the festival mirrors his own values of working toward conserving wildlife and habitat and educating communities about those values through cinema.