What makes a wildlife film truly engaging — and what does it leave out?

This talk explores the process of wildlife documentary filmmaking, from the fundamentals of conventional filmmaking to the unique challenges and possibilities of working with animal subjects in their natural environments.

We will look at the questions that emerge during research and development, the creative and logistical process of filming wildlife, and the ethical considerations involved in representing animals on screen.

But beyond the technical and creative dimensions of the craft, this session will ask a harder question: what does wildlife documentary actually teach us about the natural world — and who is responsible for what we learn?

Through careful editorial choices, filmmakers shape not only what we see but what we expect — of animals, of ecosystems, and of our own relationship with nature. Documentary has done extraordinary things for conservation awareness, but it has also created a kind of spectatorship that can let us off the hook for the quieter, everyday responsibilities we hold toward the animals we share this planet with.

What does it mean to observe without disturbing?
Where does curiosity become intrusion?
How do we recognise and respect the natural boundaries of wildlife, particularly when animals share our increasingly urban spaces?

And if we knew more about the thousands of species around us — species we have far more in common with than we might expect — would we treat them differently?
Through the lens of wildlife filmmaking, this session invites us to reconnect with something more fundamental: the responsibility that comes with sharing a world.

📅 11 September 2026
🕒 Time: 6:30 – 8:00 PM

About the presenter: Bhavani Lakshminarasimhan is a Zürich-based filmmaker and media producer with a Master's in Film & Television with Innovation & Entrepreneurship from the University of Bristol. She specialises in factual storytelling and documentary production, with a particular interest in how film shapes our understanding of the natural world. An avid wildlife photographer, she approaches both filmmaking and nature with the same curiosity and patience.