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A hopeful and poetic ode to the planet, Super Nature premiered at the BFI London Film Festival to warm applause and quiet reflection. Directed by Ed Sayers, this first feature-length film is a deeply personal documentary stitched together from Super 8 footage gathered across the globe, offering a unique look at our connection to nature.
A mosaic of emotions and landscapes on Super 8
Super Nature isn’t your standard nature documentary filled with data, statistics, or dire warnings. Instead, Sayers chooses beauty, simplicity, and emotional connection. Over 40 contributors from 25 countries, filming on five continents, sent intimate snapshots of the natural world, all captured on Super 8. That choice alone gives the film a home-video softness, like paging through the world’s most touching photo album.
Ed Sayers, previously known for his work on commercials and music videos, and whose first short Goldfish starred a young Michael Fassbender, steps into feature-length storytelling with surprising grace. Here, he takes on the role of a conductor more than a director, weaving together voices and visions into a gentle, reflective patchwork. You feel the fingerprints of each filmmaker on every frame.
From lush forests to snow-covered plains, the film flows like a dream—personal yet collective, particular yet universal. There’s something incredibly moving about seeing so many different perspectives on the same subject: the Earth. To read Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton face off in 2026’s Apex trailer
Behind the camera: a collaborative act of creation
Produced by Seven Productions, Grasp the Nettle Films, and Forest of Black, Super Nature is also backed by heavyweights in the world of creative documentary. It received financial support from several sources, including the BFI Doc Society Fund powered by National Lottery funding, Screen Scotland, Cinelab Film and Digital, as well as Foghorn Features and Autlook Filmsales.
The list of producers is just as impressive: Rebecca Wolff, Ed Sayers himself, and Beth Allan. Adding even more credibility, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia came aboard as executive producer. His influence shows through in the quiet intensity of the film’s pacing and its ability to magnify tiny moments into something universal.
Several things struck me while watching. First, that despite its quiet tone, Super Nature radiates a kind of urgency—but one based on love, not fear. Second, that it resists the pressure to preach, instead trusting the viewer to feel their way through.
- BFI Doc Society Fund (National Lottery)
- Screen Scotland
- Cinelab Film and Digital
- Autlook Filmsales (also handling international sales)
- Executive Producer: Asif Kapadia
A gentle call to action, rooted in hope
What makes Super Nature so refreshing is that it doesn’t tell you what to do. It simply invites you to look. At a flower growing through concrete in New York. At the endless horizon of a desert in Namibia. At a father filming the waves with his daughter’s laughter off-screen.
Ed Sayers described the goal as inspiring “small daily actions,” not changing the world overnight. The idea is to get people thinking “at the breakfast table,” as he puts it, starting from a place of emotional connection rather than guilt or fear. It’s subtle, but powerful. And I believe him. To read Ranking Shyamalan’s Hits: Which Film Defines His Legacy?
The film’s creators were deeply influenced by figures like Jane Goodall, who stressed the importance of individual change and emotional engagement. That tone lies at the heart of this project. It’s about ordinary wonder, the beauty of noticing, and the power of believing our actions—even the small ones—matter.
Distribution and the road ahead
Following its London premiere, the film was picked up by BFI Distribution for theatrical release in the UK and Ireland. It will start at BFI South Bank before expanding to nationwide cinemas, including multiplexes.
BFI’s confidence in the film’s appeal beyond the arthouse circuit is telling. It suggests that there’s a hunger for this kind of work: sincere, collective, and quietly urgent. I hope audiences show up for it. We need room in cinemas for films like this, not just the next franchise tentpole.
Watching Super Nature, I was reminded why I first fell in love with cinema as a kid: to feel something real. And in a world that often feels overwhelming, this film gives us a simple but radical invitation—to reconnect, gently, with the world around us, and with each other.
