Festivals: Lake Havasu International FF 08, Athens International Film + Video Festival 08, Mid Ulster FF 08, Twin Rivers Media Festival 08, 31st International Wildlife FF 08, Swansea Bay FF 08, Heart of England International FF 08, Ecofilms - Rhodes International Film + Visual Arts Festival 08, Parnu International Documentary and Anthropology FF 08, Forecastle Festival 08, Deep Fried FF 08, Washougal International FF 08, Green Screen International Nature FF 08, Matsalu International Nature FF 08, Wildwood By The Sea FF 08, Montana Cine International FF 08, BendFilm Festival 08, International FF South Africa 08, Ekotopfilm 08, 24th International Ornithological FF 08, Radar Hamburg International Independent FF 08, International Mountain and Adventure FF Graz 08, Red Rock FF 08, Wildlife Vaasa International Nature FF 08, Myrtle Beach International FF 08, Wild & Scenic Environmental FF 09, Frozen River FF 09, Canada International FF 09, Macon Film and Video Festival 09, Omaha FF 09, DOCNZ International Documentary FF 09, Tallahassee FF 09, White Sands International FF 09, Fallbrook FF 09, WildSouth International FF 09, Festival Internacional de Cine Ecológico y de la Naturaleza de Canarias 09, Reel Earth - Aotearoa Environmental FF 09, Hoboken International FF 09, Lighthouse International FF 09, Long Island International Film Expo 09
Upcoming Festivals: China Int Animal and Nature FF 09, Lessinia FF 09, Landlocked FF 09, Southern Winds FF 09, TriMedia FF 09, Napa Sonoma Wine Country FF 09, Port Townsend FF 09, Tacoma FF 09
Awards: Mayor’s Award for Best Short Documentary at Lake Havasu International Film Festival 08, Winner in the category Outdoor Film at Twin Rivers Media Festival 08, Merit Award for Creative Approach, Merit Award for Sound Design, Honourable Mention Award for Wildlife Appreciation at the 31st International Wildlife Film Festival 08, Best Newcomer at Montana Cine International Film Festival 08, Best Conservation Award at BendFilm Festival 08, Winner in the category Environment & Ecology at the International Film Festival South Africa 08, Winner in the category Ecological Success Stories at Ekotopfilm 08, Best Documentary at Myrtle Beach International Film Festival 08, Award of Excellence: Documentary Feature at The Accolade Film Awards 08, Best Environmental Film at Canada International Film Festival 09, Gold Kahuna Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at Honolulu International Film Festival 09, Nominated to receive one of the top four Remi Awards in the category Ecology / Environment / Conservation at WorldFest 09, Best in Show at SkyFest Film & Script Festival 09, Platinum Remi for Creative Excellence in the category Ecology / Environment / Conservation at Worldfest 09, Reel Earth Festival Award at Reel Earth 09, Best Cinematography Award at Reel Earth 09, Runner Up Award in the category Best New Zealand Film at Reel Earth 09, Honourable Mention Award in the category Best Feature Film at Reel Earth 09, Honourable Mention Award at Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival 09, CINE Golden Eagle Award in the Independent Division, Documentary Short, at the Spring 2009 CINE Golden Eagle Film and Video Competition 09
Broadcast: Viasat (UK)
Original Language: English

Chance of a Lifetime

New Zealand / 2008 / Sandy Crichton / 49 mins

This award-winning tale tells the extraordinary story of how a population of wild New Zealand falcons managed to survive in the face of fierce commercial forestry logging practices that stripped the birds of its natural habitat. It also tells the story of two friends – conservationist and director Sandy Crichton, and 88 year old wildlife photographer George Chance. Bound by their mutual love and admiration for the falcons, Chance's failing health and eyesight inspires the young Crichton to capture footage of the falcons as a tribute to the latter's body of work from the 70s that featured photographs of the wild birds. What began as an empathetic response to fulfill a friend's final wish to see the magnificent birds on film ended up becoming a chance of a lifetime. When Crichton begins filming the falcons, he inadvertently becomes witness to new falcon behavior, capturing a turning point in the ecological evolution of the wild birds. In the heartfelt tradition of post-war Disney nature stories, Chance of a Lifetime is a quietly moving story and a testament to the resilience of the animal kingdom in surviving against the odds that will keep all generations of viewers spell-bound.