Céline Roustan
Birta and Selma, two teenagers living in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, have a unique pastime. Instead of going out to parties, or playing video games, at night they drive around their town on a mission to locate lost pufflings (puffin chicks) and rescue them, guiding them back to the ocean. In awards contender Puffling, director Jessica Bishopp follows the inspiring conservation efforts of these young women, while also crafting a compelling and multilayered coming-of-age narrative between the girls, the young birds and their island.
Originally from England, Bishopp’s introduction to puffling season came on a long bus ride with her Icelandic friend Hind, who she was on holiday with. The environmental uniqueness of the story inspired the filmmaker, compelling her to document the event in her short. Discovering that “Iceland has the world’s largest puffin population; over half of the world’s puffin population breeds in Iceland and Vestmannaeyjar is home to over 800,000 breeding pairs”, further fueled her fascination.
Bishopp worked with Birta and Selma to “ensure the story told is both something they’re comfortable with and is authentic to their lives”.
With Puffling season only happening for 2-3 weeks every year, in August, when the young puffins first begin to leave the nest, Bishopp shot the film in 2021 and 2022, across two Puffling seasons. Over the development and production of the film, the director got to personally witness the effects climate change has had on the birds and the importance of the rescue tradition, which is now more important than ever as puffins are the most at risk seabird. The director also used this time to build a close relationship with Birta and Selma, introduced to her by Hind, and took the step of involving them in the filmmaking process to ensure authenticity was a key element of her short.
Leaving the nest is a theme that is deliberately present throughout the film, creating a parallel between the pufflings, soon to be puffins, and the teenagers, on the cusp of adulthood. The film also has an environmental layer, showcasing how climate change is directly affecting their home island. Something they’ll have to take into account when thinking about their future. In just over 20-minutes, Bishopp manages to tie the future of the humans, wildlife and nature in her film together, exploring how they will all have to face climate change in a subtle yet effective way. The film remains quiet, and observational for most of its runtime, inviting the audience to be part of the rescue patrol action for that one night, and allowing us to hear from both Birta and Selma.
“It was a grounding experience filming on the island, we were at the mercy of the weather and nature” – Bishopp discussing her production.
Collaborating with cinematographer Anna MacDonald, Bishopp ensures that Vestmannaeyjar is a vital part of the story, the way it is displayed is not only immersive but also truly captures its beauty and peacefulness. By opposition, when the girls drive around looking for pufflings, the light pollution is also very much present in the frame, allowing us to understand the impact it has on the lives of these birds. Working with the editor Xanna Ward Dixon, they structured the film around one night, but also allowed us to get to know the two participants on a personal level, providing a glimpse into their own “nests”, at home with family, to emotionally convey their state of mind as they face the future.
Puffling had its Word Premiere at the 2023 edition of SXSW. Ahead of its online debut as part of The New Yorker catalog, it was selected at multiple festivals including DOC NYC, Palm Springs, Galway, and won an Oscar Qualifying award at Aspen, which means that it is currently FYC in the Best Documentary Short Film category. Bishopp is currently working on a feature version of Puffling, a second documentary feature and a short fiction as well.