MWFF X JACKSON WILD GRANT
FOR DEER LIFE
By YAZ ELLIS
ABOUT THE FILM
Beneath the beauty of spring lies a hidden tragedy. Across Austria, the birth of roe deer fawns coincides with the mowing season,
creating a deadly conflict between wildlife and modern agriculture. Too young to flee, the fawns instinctively remain motionless in the grass,
leaving them almost impossible for farmers to see before machinery moves through the meadows.
For Deer Life follows the dedicated drone operators and volunteers working tirelessly to prevent this devastating loss of life.
Using thermal cameras mounted on drones, rescue teams scan the fields from above, locating hidden fawns so they can be moved to safety before mowing begins.
Through intimate wildlife storytelling, innovative technology, and the unwavering commitment of its volunteers, the film reveals how conservation and agriculture can work together.
It offers a hopeful example of people using ingenuity and compassion to create space for wildlife within a human-shaped landscape.
MWFF X JACKSON WILD GRANT WINNER
YAZ ELLIS
Yaz Ellis is an award-winning wildlife filmmaker, cinematographer, and co-founder of Dream Wild Films. Originally from the UK, she moved to Vienna after falling in love with filming the European hamsters that live wild in the city. Her films uncover the fascinating lives of wildlife in Vienna and across Austria, with a particular focus on how animals are adapting to - and being challenged by - human activity. Yaz’s work has received multiple international accolades, including recognition from Jackson Wild, the United Nations’ World Wildlife Day Film Showcase, and Wildscreen’s Wild Pitch. She has also worked as a director of photography on wildlife documentaries for Terra Mater Studios and ORF Universum. Winning the My World Film Fund grant and creating For Deer Life was a dream come true for Yaz, allowing her to share a story that combines wildlife, human dedication, and a hopeful conservation solution.
THE MISSION
TECHNOLOGY FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
For Deer Life champions a future in which agriculture and wildlife protection work hand in hand. Each spring, newborn roe deer fawns shelter in Austria’s meadows at precisely the time farmers must begin mowing them. The fawns’ natural instinct is to remain completely still when danger approaches - a defence against predators that leaves them tragically vulnerable to agricultural machinery.
By revealing how farmers, volunteers, and thermal-drone operators can work together to locate fawns and move them to safety, the film presents a practical and compassionate solution. For Deer Life advocates for shared landscapes where essential farming can continue while wildlife is given the protection it needs to survive.
IMPACT
For Deer Life is taking its message beyond the screen, engaging local communities and encouraging farmers across the region to adopt fawn-saving practices.
The film has been screened for communities in Austria, bringing farmers, volunteers, and local residents together to discuss how roe deer can be better protected during the mowing season.
By sharing a solution already being used successfully in their own landscape, these screenings turn an often-hidden issue into an opportunity for practical local action.
For Deer Life is also being used as an advocacy tool to encourage more farmers across the region to work with volunteer rescue teams and incorporate thermal-drone searches into their mowing practices.
The aim is to build awareness, strengthen cooperation, and help make fawn rescue a more widely adopted part of seasonal farm management.
Beyond Austria, the film offers an approach that can inspire other agricultural communities facing similar pressures.
By making the work of these rescue teams visible, For Deer Life shows how storytelling can help a proven conservation method reach the people who are best placed to put it into practice.