Emergence Magazine

Puffling

by Jessica Bishopp

Every summer, on a remote island off the coast of Iceland, young puffins leaving their nests for the first time often get lost in the town, mistaking the harbor lights for the moon rising over the ocean. In this tender coming-of-age documentary, we follow two teenagers, Birta and Selma, as they drive through town rescuing pufflings who have lost their way. Illuminating the challenge of setting out into an uncertain world, this film explores the delicate interplay of wild and human lives.

Director

Jessica Bishopp is an award-winning director and documentary filmmaker whose work explores subcultures, myth, and our connection to place. Her short film Puffling premiered at SXSW and won the Oscar Qualifying Jury Award for Documentary at Aspen Shortsfest; another of her short films, Skyward, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and was shortlisted for a Grierson Award. Her work has been featured on The Atlantic and The Guardian Documentaries, and she represented the UK at Berlinale Talents 2020.

Credits

Directed by Jessica Bishopp
Produced by Alice Hughes, Ganesh Rajah
Executive Producers Caitlin Mae Burke, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Cinematography by Anna MacDonald
Edited by Anna Ward Dixon
Original Music by Jófríður Ákadóttir

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