Ghost Ponds

In the farmland of England, a search and rescue mission is underway. A team is working to excavate land haunted by ghosts… but these are not ordinary ghosts… they are ghost ponds. While Norfolk used to have more ponds than any other English county, over the years pressures of modern-day farming have forced farmers to fill-in ponds, making room for new crops, while burying England’s wetlands at an exponential rate. 

Ghost Ponds journeys to an ongoing pond revival to meet the groundswell movement’s most passionate conservationists who are working to restore landscapes and species in a world damaged by climate change. Born and raised around the ponds of Norfolk, Professor Carl is beholden to restore his nostalgic vision of once-thriving wetlands. PhD student, Jack, having never cared much for ponds before, is driven not to dwell on the past, but rather, reimagine ponds as biodiverse hotspots for the future. Among the backdrop of grand pastoral views these small waterbodies are unearthed, one by one reversing the devastating statistic of England’s 90% wetland disappearance, and with that we uncover why farmland ponds are the conservation underdog of the century.

But the battle for the wetlands is a struggle… this restoration work is up against overwhelming odds. As wetlands continue to be filled-in, rare and declining wildlife species cannot afford to wait for large-scale ecosystem restoration and conservation projects to be initiated. Carl and Jack must convince farmers on the importance of ponds, before human-induced degradation is too severe. Despite the odds, the result from bringing England’s wetlands back from the dead holds much promise… even leading to staggering finds. Sometimes it's the smallest changes that can make the biggest difference.

Director x Producer x Editor: Amanda Sosnowski

Life for My Family

From the Cousteau Outdoor Film Fellowship, Life for My Family brings us a story about sibling bonds, trauma, and healing. After her brother’s death from oesophageal cancer, Mackenzie McGrath became the program director at First Descents, a non-profit organization that takes individuals with cancer, as well as survivors of it, into the outdoors to climb, kayak, and participate in other adventurous activities. When Mackenzie’s brother, Taurin, became sick, First Descents offered him a place in the program—but he was too ill to take part. Now Mackenzie’s commitment to helping others experience what Taurin couldn’t is her own profound way of continuing his legacy through her extraordinary work.

Featured in Outside Magazine

DoP x Cinematography: Amanda Sosnowski

Coming Soon

A glimpse into the life and art of Kung Fu at the Southern Shaolin Buddhist Monastery in China.

Made of Music

Meet Tony Clark. At 80 years old, he is the oldest working DJ in the UK. This slice-of-life film takes you into Tony’s world of jazz, exploring the relationship Tony has with the music he plays.

Directing x Cinematography x Edit: Amanda Sosnowski

Moments That Last

In 2019, we rarely face the thrill of exploration anymore. With TV and internet available in sparkling 4K resolution, any far-reached recesses of the world (and beyond) can be experienced in higher quality than witnessing that very moment in real life. As we are experiencing this visual sensationalism, we are desensitized to the magnificent moments occurring all around us in everyday life. Behold, Thomas Bauer; a realist painter, and perhaps most notably, an explorer of emotive “moments in time” experienced outdoors. Have you ever experienced a moment so precious, so beautiful, that you wanted to always remember it? Thomas Bauer paints to make those moments last. His paintings are an ode to nostalgic moments experienced outdoors. 

The true magic is in Mr. Bauer’s artistic process, immersive as it is exploratory. For Mr. Bauer, painting is a vessel for exploration, understanding his art and experiencing the outdoors are inextricably intertwined: explore to paint, paint to explore. For just one moment, the visual sensationalism in 2019 is subdued, as Thomas Bauer’s paintings help us reabsorb the nostalgic natural world. 

Directing x Cinematography x Edit: Amanda Sosnowski

On The Line

For Chris, at age twenty-five life on a sailboat is more than just loyalty to a dream or minimalism, it is an acute concern for the vitality of our oceans. For him, living on a sailboat connects a gap that exists between human progress and environmental vulnerability, it is a lifestyle connected on the line.

2016 BLUE Ocean Film Festival Official Selection

Directing x Cinematography x Edit: Amanda Sosnowski