Eco Focus

Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble are this year’s recipients of the Legacy Award. They are known for their independent story-driven films championing the importance of biodiversity and the interconnectivity of the natural world. For each film, they spend a minimum of 2 years camped in the wilderness with a small team. Their films are based on keen observation, and a deep understanding of natural ecosystems. They have won over 100 international awards in recognition of their artistry and wildlife storytelling. Throughout their careers they have used their films to support conservation. Following the launch of The Elephant Queen, a decade-long project and Apple’s first feature film acquisition for Apple TV+, they launched, with long-term Assistant Director Etienne Oliff, The Elephant Queen Outreach and Mobile Cinema and Theatre in Kenya. The film, translated into Swahili and Maa has been shown to over 120,000 people living in areas of high human-wildlife conflict.

The couple began their careers as underwater wildlife filmmakers filming around the world for Survival Anglia, the BBC and National Geographic. In 1987, they were invited to Serengeti by Alan Root. Their first East African film, Here Be Dragons, revealed the dramatic new behavior of giant Grumeti crocodiles leaping from the water to grab drinking wildebeest. Since then, they have worked in East Africa telling wildlife stories that have been shown in more than 140 countries with audiences estimated in excess of a billion. Sir David Attenborough called The Queen of Trees “A masterpiece!” Amongst its many awards are a Peabody and a Grierson. It followed Peabody and Emmy®-winning Mzima to join a filmography which includes Once Upon a Time in Tsavo, The Elephant & the Termite, The Elephant Queen, A Little Fish in Deep Water, Tale of the Tides, The Tides of Kirawira, and Devilfish.