Puffling
Jessica Bishopp
20 mins | 2023
On a remote Icelandic island, teenagers Birta and Selma trade late night parties for nocturnal puffin rescues in this coming-of-age story for young adults and puffins alike. Puffling demonstrates the direct interplay between nature, the environment, and human life.
Sponsored by:
Friday Harbor Film Festival
Every summer 18-year-old Birta and 16-year-old Selma rescue pufflings (young puffins) at night on a remote island off the coast of Iceland. The pufflings leave their nests for the first time, following the light of the moon to make their journey out to sea and transition into adulthood. Unfortunately, the pufflings get lost in town, mistaking the harbour lights for the moon.
Over one night Birta and Selma take it upon themselves to counteract the human impact on nature, exchanging night-time parties for puffin patrol, in a coming-of-age story of young adults and pufflings alike. A documentary about growing up and making choices, worrying about the future, and dealing with encroaching environmental pressures. Puffling demonstrates the direct interplay between nature, the environment, and human life, exploring the importance of younger generations taking action on global environmental issues.
Jessica Bishopp
Jessica Bishopp is an award-winning documentary filmmaker fascinated by subcultures and myths, as well as exploring universal themes embedded in our daily lives and thoughts. Her work has been screened internationally at film festivals such as Sheffield Doc/Fest, Aspen Shortsfest, AFI DOCS, New Orleans Film Festival, and London Short Film Festival. Her short documentary films have been nominated twice for the Best Director Award at Underwire Film Festival, and her artist film Lifespanwas broadcast on Channel 4. Her documentary films have been featured on The Atlantic, WeTransfer, NOWNESS, The Guardian Documentaries, and Aeon, receiving several Vimeo Staff Pick awards. She was selected from over 3,000 applications to represent the UK as a director at Berlinale Talents 2020. Recently her documentary, Skyward, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2022, and her new film, Puffling, has been supported by the Rooftop Films Fund, IF/Then, and Field of Vision.
CREDITS
Director
Jessica Bishopp
Skyward (2022), PAMPAS (2020), Wargames (2018), Lifespan (2017)
Producer
Alice Hughes
Until the Tide Creeps In (2022), The Uncertain Kingdom (2020), Half Way (2019)
Producer
Gannesh Rajah
If the Streets were on Fire (2022), 512 Hours with Marina Abramović (2021)
Co-Producer
Ada Benjamínsdóttir
Cinematographer
Anna MacDonald
One Night (2022), Why Me (2022), Skyward (2022), The Elvermen (2021), Good Thanks, You? (2020)
Editor
Xanna Ward Dixon
Kanaval: A People's History of Haiti in Six Chapters (2022), If The Streets Were on Fire (2022), Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché (2021)
Original Music
Jófríður Ákadóttir
Executive Producer
Caitlin Mae Burke
Realm of Satan (2024), Between Earth & Sky (2024), Plastic Bag Store: The Film (2021)
Executive Producer
Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
I’ve known Birta and Selma for over two years. I first met Birta and Selma through a mutual friend, Hind, who is from the Icelandic island community. The film turned out to be a little different from the treatment; I originally intended the film to be shot entirely in one year, to focus on one puffling season and the small changes within it. However, after various pandemic related delays we ended up shooting across two years and two puffling seasons, maintaining the natural progression of the night as much as possible through the film edit.
By paralleling the teenagers’ experience with the puffling experience, this film demonstrates the direct interplay between nature, the environment, and human life. It also explores important themes relating to contemporary youth taking action in global issues, whilst also battling against the universal struggles of teenagehood and coming-of-age. Puffling is an alternative perspective on climate change - I wanted to tell a creative and joyful story from the personal perspective of teenagers on the climate change frontline, rather than an expert-led information piece which we have already seen too many of! We will care about climate change and nature because we see the teenagers caring. I believe that everyone can have a small positive impact on climate change, conservation, and nature - it does not have to be a big gesture.
I grew up just outside a remote village in England and understand how it feels to be a teenager growing up in a place where you have to make your own fun and the huge impact the rural environment and your sparse surroundings have on you. This film will always be special to me. The opportunity to spend so much time with Birta and Selma and to experience nature as they experience it.
A note on film & diversity…
We are a diverse group of filmmakers. We want to go forward collaborating with diverse crews and foster a future film industry that reflects us as makers and our backgrounds. We want to tell stories that reflect our backgrounds and specific perspectives, stories that previously have not been told from our perspectives.
Our core documentary team is small. We’ve ensured every member is from an underrepresented community and/or from a different background: whether it be female, LGBTQI+, non-white (BAME, BIPOC), or from a non-traditionally Western country. We feel this representation is both good for the industry, but also for our film - giving us access to a wealth of experiences, opinions and points of view. We’ll continue this approach as we continue to develop in our industry going forward.