Wales is a land of rugged peaks, ancient forests and rugged coastlines. It may be small, but its wealth of wilderness rivals any other country on earth. Heavy snowfall, torrential rain or scorching heat – despite extreme and ever-changing conditions, life thrives here all year round.
In winter, the Welsh mountains become a truly hostile place, but the Carneddau ponies brave the cold. Genetically unique and numbering fewer than 300, they have survived here for thousands of years.
When spring arrives, the storms subside and carpets of wild daffodils and bluebells fill the Welsh forests. A dormouse awakens from its long hibernation in the Celtic rainforest. Rare footage shows dippers knocking over heavy stones to get to the aquatic insects underneath.
In summer, around 35,000 puffins provide a spectacular sight on the Welsh coast as they fill their beaks with sand eels on an offshore island to feed their chicks. Bizarre sea lampreys swim up the great Welsh rivers to spawn. And near a disused coal mine, fearsome tiger beetle larvae lie in wait, dragging their prey underground.
Autumn paints Wales red, orange and yellow. The fallow deer rut begins, and the fierce battles between the males continue long into the cold night. The rivers swell when torrential rain returns. The salmon take advantage of this opportunity to fight their way upstream to their spawning grounds. With the return of winter, the days grow shorter and colder.
This haunting film offers an intimate portrait of life on the edge of the world, where the vast Atlantic Ocean brings difficult and unpredictable conditions throughout the year. In Wales, we discover a land full of myths and legends, with enchanting creatures that are home to the spirits of nature and humans.
A film by Terra Mater Studios
Shown in
English
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This film is one of 50 productions selected for the European Wildlife Film Awards (EWFA) and is eligible for the Audience Award, which will be presented in February 2026. Cinema-goers will have the opportunity to rate the film on site.
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About the European Wildlife Film Awards (EWFA)
The EWFA is the first nature film competition to exclusively honour documentaries about European flora and fauna. Presented by the German Wildlife Foundation, there are a total of six award categories. A total of 245 films have already been submitted for the first competition in 2025. A jury of experts from the fields of nature conservation, media, science and culture selected the winners in the categories of wildlife, biodiversity, nature conservation and storytelling. Cinema-goers also have the opportunity to rate the films. They voted for the best short film and will decide on the audience award, which will be presented for the first time in 2026.
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