The Invisible World: a new film exploring UK freshwater life

The Salmon and Trout Conservation UK charity has this week announced the outcome of its £2,000 “Invisible World’ filmmaking competition.  Scottish filmmaker Andrew O’Donnell’s entry was judged the winner by a panel including award-winning wildlife film-makers Hugh Miles, Paul Reddish and Charlie Hamilton James, television personality Matthew Wright and Salmon and Trout Conservation CEO Paul Knight.

The Invisible World competition was launched back in February, to encourage filmmakers to create work that engaged with the invisible beauty and diversity of freshwater ecosystems, and the similarly often unseen threats that they face. Hugh Miles explained why O’Donnell’s film (also titled The Invisible World) came out on top, “It is the most imaginative interpretation of the subject and says all the right things about water. It succeeds really well in linking ‘our’ world with the ‘invisible’, so bravo for the great effort and hard work that went into this production.”

O’Donnell’s film has a sparkling clarity about it, and the aquatic environments he filmed – both above and below the surface – are captured in sharp, perceptive focus.  The making of his prize-winning entry was a long and (quite literally) immersive process: “I initially noticed the competition on S&TC UK’s website, whilst doing some research for another project. It appealed to me instantly as I’m very passionate about all the elements of the brief – the beauty, wildlife and threats to the UK’s freshwater environments.”

“The film took around 8 months to make and I travelled all over the UK filming it. My wetsuit was put to use a lot more than usual! I wanted it to show how much people rely on our freshwater environments. We all use them in one way or another. It’s not just people who are involved in aquatic based activities who should be protecting these environments. It’s everyone!”

More information on the Invisible World film
Salmon and Trout Conservation UK