Short film made with neurodiverse young people in Wales wins international awards

A short film about moss created with neurodiverse young people in Wales has won a string of international film and arts awards.

Gentle as Moss on Stone has brought global attention to an overlooked part of the natural world, and the voices of the young Welsh people who explored it.

The production positions moss as a gentle yet powerful guide, symbolising stillness, resilience, and beauty in the overlooked, echoing the lived experiences of those who helped bring the project to life.

Created by artists boredomresearch, the film has thus far won seven major awards and received four further nominations at film festivals in the UK and abroad.

Vicky Isley and Paul Smith aka boredomresearch said: “We wanted to create an immersive public engagement project that would invite young people into a deeper, more personal relationship with the natural world – specifically mosses.

“We developed a series of workshops exploring the complexity, vulnerability and surprising resilience of moss with two groups of neurodiverse people at Newtown College, Powys.”

The young people experienced hands-on microscopy, gained insight into Wales’ rarest mosses and designed miniature moss themed film sets incorporating objects of personal meaning.

These workshops shaped the visual and emotional landscape of the final production.

Microscopic imagery created by the students inspired specific shots, while their reflections on hope, fear, and identity helped develop the ten fictional moss species that appear in the short film.

Dante, one of the participants who was surprised to find out there are over 12,000 species of moss, said: “Thank you for opening our eyes to the wonders in nature and for teaching us about different species of moss based on the climate, habitats, where they’re from and where they like to thrive.

Thomas, another workshop participant, added: “For something I wouldn’t usually care about, I found it very interesting …”

Gentle as Moss on Stone was commissioned as an arts engagement project in support of the Natur am Byth! species recovery programme, with guidance from Plantlife Cymru and Natural Resources Wales. 

Natur am Byth! brings together nine environmental charities, including Plantlife Cymru, with NRW to deliver Wales’ largest natural heritage and outreach programme to save species from extinction and reconnect people to nature.

Plantlife Cymru’s Project Officer Ellie Baggett said: “We were thrilled to support the project throughout, by providing expert guidance on two of Wales’ rarest mosses – Upright Apple Moss Bartramia aprica and Dog Screw Moss Tortula canescens – and facilitating site visits including connecting the artists with the National Botanic Garden of Wales, where the species are grown off-site.

“It’s great to have a conservation film in the spotlight and we’re keeping everything crossed that the film continues to gain critical acclaim!”

The film has won awards including: 

• Southampton Film Week — Michael Fuller Award for Best Film, Audience Award, Best Artist Film
• Rob Knox London Film Festival — Best Editing Award
• RAW Science Film Festival — Professional Animation Short Award
• Folkestone Film Festival — Best Experimental & Art Film UK Award
• Bracciano Film and Arts Festival — Best Artist Short Film Award

It is currently nominated for:

• Aesthetica Short Film Festival — Best Artist Short Film
• Braga Science Film Festival — Experimental Short Film Award
• Kendal Mountain Festival — Animation Award
• Biophilia Festival Internacional de Cine — Animation Award

For more information, visit the Natur am Byth! site here.