Ryan Wilkes is an emerging documentary cinematographer and director, and holds a PhD in Bioengineering. Through documenting adventurous pursuits, new discoveries and conservation-related endeavors, Ryan enjoys exploring the relationship between people and the natural world. His passion for filmmaking was born when he moved to New Zealand to pursue his PhD at the University of Canterbury. Inspired by the beautiful scenery around him, he and his camera became regulars in the backcountry of the South Island. Since then, Ryan’s adventures have included swimming with humpback whales in Tonga, exploring the remote fjords of Northern Norway, tracking mountain gorillas in the impenetrable forest of Uganda, and paragliding off of the world’s tallest freestanding mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro. His adventure documentary, Fly The Roof, won a People’s Choice Award at the VIMFF 2021. Ryan was a 2021 Jackson Wild Media Lab fellow and a 2021 Being Black in Canada filmmaker.
Each and every one of us sees the world through a different lens. Our world view is often defined by our intersectional lived experiences, such as our gender, racial identities, disability, sexuality and social and economic environment. This is what shapes how we see and experience the world.
Colour the Trails is proud to announce a VIMFF panel discussion on “Diversity In Storytelling”. We want filmmakers to begin to deeply reflect on what inclusive storytelling looks like while partnering up with diverse communities in a way that is not tokenistic but rather uplifting, building trust and a network of support. While it’s important to have diverse stories and subjects, it’s also important to look at who is behind the lens.
Join Colour the Trails and leading athletes and filmmakers as they discuss how we can develop a more inclusive outdoor storytelling industry. How do we look at the world through a different lens, and tell that story in a sensitive and authentic way?
