A feature-length environmental documentary

with narration by ACADAMY NOMINATED

Sophie Okonedo

To investigate the reasons behind the  Bewick swan population’s shocking decline, female environmentalist SACHA DENCH takes to the skies in a paramotor to follow the flock on its migratory journey, over 7,000 kilometers, and 11 countries, from Russia to England, across wetlands, tundra and industrial landscapes, where she encounters local people just as passionate about saving and protecting the swans. 

A FEATURE-LENGTH ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTARY WITH NARRATION BY ACADEMY NOMINATED SOPHIE OKONEDO

I was commissioned by The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust to produce and recut the footage from Sacha Dench's ambitious expedition, FLIGHT OF THE SWANS, a retelling of her epic adventure as she tracks Bewick's Swans from the Russian Tundra to the UK, 7000 kilometres in a paramotor, in an attempt to discover why they are in catastrophic decline. This is a re-version of the film MYSTERY OF THE MISSING, directed and produced by Amber Cherry Eames.

The new 2023 version focuses more on Sacha’s journey and her connection to the people working hard to protect the species. I re-wrote the narration, reshot interviews with the key scientists and recut the epic wildlife footage from the original film. The resulting feature documentary narrated by Academy-nominated Sophie Okonedo, and scored by the sublime Kezia Tomsett had a terrific film festival run, showing at some of our most loved environmental film festivals. It won five awards 🏆

• Spirit of Activism Award – Eugene Film Festival, USA.

• Best Environmental Film – ORION International Film Festival, Australia.

• Best Nature Film – International Mountain, Nature and Adventure Film Festival, Spain.

• Best Environmental Film – Toronto International Women Film Festival, Canada.

• Best Ornithological Film – Nature Without Borders International Film Festival.

A massive thank you to the whole team of the original film and to the re-version creatives Owen Peters MPSE & Owen Shirley MPSE at Paradigm Post-Production Ltd to Rob Farris at Goldcrest Post London, Mary Farbrother, Julia Newth, Nick Sounidis, to Sacha for her thirst for conservation focused adventure, to Amber for a great job on the original film and to all the people working to conserve these incredible birds.