NaturePlay - Take Childhood Back
Natureplay features a surprising endangered species in the wild today - Our Children, and devises ways to save humanity's connection to nature in the next generation - Back from the brink of Extinction.
Interview with Co Directors Aimie Stilling, Daniel Stilling
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We decided to enroll our daughter in a Danish Forest School to develop her Danish language skills and the film grew out of that experience. The film expanded while researching the Nordic Model to reveal an integrated tapestry of Udeskole "Education outside the classroom walls" throughout all levels of school and the "Free air living" Friluftiv lifestyle. Exposed to the Scandinavian way of life we realized its uniqueness and success in producing innovative, healthy, HAPPY people.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Natureplay features a surprising endangered species in the wild today - Our Children, and devises ways to save humanity's connection to nature in the next generation - Back from the brink of Extinction. It's one of the most important issues facing humankind really, because it relates to our survival. If we get so disconnected from Nature, we get disconnected from caring about our own life support systems and thus fail to protect them. That connection starts when we are young so we need to start, right now.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Every parent has a primal love for their child - to want to do what's best for them. With this film we hope to bring to light a Child’s Right to a "Good Childhood", free of abuse, full of JOY and PLAY, while being supported by developmentally appropriate practices in education and policy making.
We come to discover by doing what's right for the child we do what's right for the planet and vice versa.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Upon arrival back in the States after filming in Denmark, Norway and Sweden we were dismayed at the high stakes testing and lack of recess time in most schools while searching for a school for our daughter. Everywhere we heard about children stressed, hating school, parents desperate, plus there was a general disconnect from nature in our lives. We found ourselves in a dystopian mess. But we had HOPE because we knew first hand there was another way.
The film expanded again, this time to feature length, with a new antagonist that demonstrated an urgent need for the positive solutions that we had discovered in the Nordic lands.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have won two Global Humanitarian Awards for this effort plus numerous international awards.
We get the words "uplifting", "positive", "cinematic" and "inspirational" when others describe the full film they have seen. The film is on par with IMAX quality as it was filmed in 4K using the same RED cameras used to film "The Martian" and has received an award for Cinematography.
NaturePlay has been widely accepted internationally with many Universities, Planetariums, and Schools in countries around the world are currently acquiring the film. We have received a "Highly Recommended" rating from Video Librarian magazine, the primary reference source for education media purchasing.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It was interesting to learn there are some in Denmark, who due to the cultural aspect of "Jante Law", don't like to brag about what they are doing right. They will even downplay it for the sake of a healthy counter point discussion. This makes it hard to uncover the value hidden by modesty but we have done it for you with unprecedented access and are not shy about showing you first hand the "how and why" of their successful model. In this review by a major Danish newspaper we begin to see evidence that the Danes are starting to realize the value of what they have - "Childhood may be the new Danish export" .
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To get the attention of a more general population, that is not particularly interested in nature or education, and shake them up a bit to show what is happening and to frankly mobilize them enough to take action to help kids and their world.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Getting outreach to a more general audience through a North American broadcast would certainly help. Overall we have chosen to do a wider public impact strategy of community screenings in order to promote and preserve the robust conversations this initiative is igniting in communities across the world. We need everyday people to host screenings among groups of friends to amplify impact. We also need organizations, groups and foundations to get on board and get excited that a film is like this already made (that they don't have to spend $250,000 making). All they need to do is support a series of screenings in communities for maximum impact of their core mission and goals. Australia has been very good at this.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
To inspire a culture and education shift around the world towards PLAY and NATURE.
PLAY is the spark that has always been the foundation of creativity, innovation and the root of human culture. Nature Play has measurable improvement in key outcomes for children: Whole Child Development, intellectual vitality, sentiency, gross motor skills / core balance and body strength, attuning of fine motor skills, proprioception and exteroception, pro-social skills, and empathy. This can be accomplished through the use of outdoor learning/experiential education methods, stopping ed "Rigor" (which also means torture), removal of high stakes testing, restoration of free play, child-led inquiry based learning, creation of nature playgrounds and backyard kid habitats, screen time guidelines, regular outdoor scheduling, international ed policy change, and reassessment of rules that restrict children’s access to nature.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we save human connection to nature from going EXTINCT? How do we protect our children at the same time?
Would you like to add anything else?
We are independent filmmakers which means we make films from our own pockets and from our hearts.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are looking for co-production on a new travel series called "Gaia Bella" focusing on the slow travel movement. Three series already complete with 8 more episodes planned. We are also looking to start running study tours to Scandinavia so that individuals/groups can gain first hand insight to some of the world's best practices in education and lifestyle from the world's happiest people.
Interview: March 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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NaturePlay - Take Childhood Back
Natureplay features a surprising endangered species in the wild today - Our Children, and devises ways to save humanity's connection to nature in the next generation - Back from the brink of Extinction.
Length:
52/81
Director:
Co Directors Aimie Stilling, Daniel Stilling
Producer:
Aimie Stilling
Writer:
Aimie Stilling
About the writer, director and producer:
Director's Biography
Daniel Stilling D.F.F, an award winning Director of Photography from Copenhagen, Denmark. Worked in Los Angeles many years on major features for Warner Bros, Lions Gate, Fox, Disney, Paramount and MGM and Emmy nominated TV shows Criminal Minds, Scrubs, Burn Notice, Graceland.
NATUREPLAY's Danish Director Daniel Stilling DFF was also the NASA Unit Director of Photography on "The Martian" with Ridley Scott and Matt Damon.
Daniel is currently filming two US features and a TV Series pilot from the Producers of "Lilyhammer". http://www.danieldp.com
Producer
Aimie Stilling Producer/Writer, NaturePlay 4K feature length documentary, Producer "Gaia Bella" 4k TV series. UPM commercial markets, production services The Missing, In Plain Sight, The Flock, The Astronaut Farmer, Seraphim Falls, Beerfest, Prior National Park Ranger and Biological Researcher USFWS at NASA Kennedy Space Center.
Key cast:
Matt Damon
Social media handles:
Facebook:
ttps://www.facebook.com/natureplayfilm/
Twitter:
ttps://twitter.com/NatureplayFilm
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/natureplayfilm/
Other:
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Journalists, North American Broadcast, Community screening partner, Foundations / Organizational sponsorship for continued distribution.
Where can I see it in the next month?
Community screening