Past screening

DocHouse Shorts: Natural State

Runtime: 1h 25min Certificate: TBC
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Details

Runtime: 1h 25min Certificate: TBC
Topics: Wildlife
Last Screened: Wed 23rd Apr 2025

The natural world is running wild.

This handpicked programme of films forms a journey through nature and the way that humans interact with it, from kaleidoscopic soundscapes of the Taiwanese jungle to puffling chirps on the Icelandic coast. Join cockle gatherers in South Wales, sheep grazing along the River Tweed and take a fantastical journey with wild salmon through their dramatic lifecycle, all in this selection of short-but-perfectly-formed docs.

The programme 

Listen Closely | 9mins | 2022 | dir. George Hiraoka Cloke

This ecologically conscious short celebrates bio-diverse Taiwanese soundscapes, ranging from the ethereal chirp of cicadas to the raucous cackle of the region’s incredible Blue Magpies.

She Sells Shellfish | 13mins | 2023 | dir. Lily Tiger Tonkin-Wells

Shot in black-and-white Super 8, this is a collage of two Welsh women’s lives, intertwined with the past. It explores the cockle gatherers of South Wales, powerful shellfish and secret seaweed.

Puffling | 20mins | 2023 | dir. Jessica Bishopp

When puffins leave their nest on Vestmannaeyjar, they often get lost. Birta and Selma have made it their mission to bring the fledglings back to the cliff.

Wild Summon | 15mins | 2023 | dir. Karni Arieli, Saul Freed

A natural history fantasy film, following the dramatic lifecycle of the wild salmon in human form, with narration by Marianne Faithfull.

The Wool Aliens | 28mins | 2024 | dir. Julia Parks

A journey into the historical and tactile entanglements between sheep’s wool, migrant plant seeds and the River Tweed.

The screening on Wednesday the 23rd of April was introduced by DocHouse Short Film Programmer, Sean Parnell.