Ryan Wilkes

Film Credits

Life on the Edge | Cinematographer (Pacific + Arctic Episodes) | River Road Films + Passion Planet | PBS, CBC, ARTE | 2027 (Documentary Series, 3×60 mins)

West Harbour Heroes | Cinematographer | Attraction | Discovery | 2026 (Documentary Series, 10×60 mins)

The Last of the Lookouts | Producer, Director, DoP, Editor | Trochilus Films | CBC Short Docs | 2026 (Documentary Short, 20 mins)

Bird Names | Director of Photography | Earth Tones | CBC Short Docs | 2026 (Documentary Short, 22 mins)

Frozen in Time | Director of Photography | Handful of Films | CBC: The Nature of Things | 2025 (Documentary, 44 mins)

Shared Planet | Cinematographer | River Road Films | CBC: The Nature of Things + ARTE | 2025 (Documentary Series, 4x60 mins)

Sandpipers’ Last Supper | Director of Photography | Tidelife Productions | CBC Short Docs | 2025 (Documentary Short, 25 mins)

Animal Pride | Director of Photography | Handful of Films | CBC: The Nature of Things | 2025 (Documentary, 44 mins)

The Bird in My Backyard | Producer, Director, DoP, Editor | Trochilus Films | CBC Short Docs | 2024 (Documentary Short, 20 mins)

Hunt for the Oldest DNA | Cinematographer | Handful of Films & HHMI Tangled Bank Studios | PBS Nova | 2024 (Documentary Feature, 84 mins)

True Survivors | Cinematographer | Handful of Films | CBC: The Nature of Things | 2023 (Documentary, 44 mins)

Carbon: The Unauthorised Biography | Camera Assistant | Handful of Films & Gene Pool Productions | ABC, CBC & ARTE | 2022 (Documentary Feature, 90 mins)

Mutinda | Director, Director of Photography, Editor | Premiere: Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival | Nairobi, Kenya | 2022  (Documentary Short, 13 mins)

I Am Able | Writer & Director | Premiere: Calgary Black Film Festival | Calgary, AB | 2022 (Documentary Short, 10 mins)

The World’s Most Beautiful Landscapes: The Canadian Rockies | Field Producer, Cinematographer | Emporium Productions (UK) | Channel 4 (UK) | 2021 (Documentary, 60 min)

Fly The Roof | Director, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor | Premiere: Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival | Vancouver, BC | 2021 (Documentary, 36 mins)

The University of Drum & Bass | Director, DoP, Editor | Re: (A division of TVNZ) | New Zealand | 2018 (Documentary Short, 10 mins)

Selected Awards & Recognition

Winner, Emerging Talent Panda Award, The Bird in My Backyard | Wildscreen Panda Awards | 2025

Winner, Best Cinematography in a Short Documentary, Animal Pride | LEO Awards | 2025

Nominated for Best Cinematography in a Short Documentary, The Bird in My Backyard | Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) Awards | 2025

Final Jury Member, Jackson Wild Media Awards | 2025

Winner, Best Short Stories of Nature Film, The Bird in My Backyard | Santiago Wild Film Festival | 2025

Nominated for Best Short Documentary, The Bird in My Backyard | Canadian Screen Awards | 2025

Winner, Best Short Film for The Bird in My Backyard | Banff Mountain Film Festival | 2024

Official Selection for The Bird in My Backyard | Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour | 2024

Winner, Best Short Film for The Bird in My Backyard | Festival Nature Namur | 2024

Winner, Best New Director for The Bird in My Backyard | Wildlife Conservation Film Festival | 2024

Winner, Wildlife & Environment for The Bird in My Backyard | Jackson Wild Media Awards | 2024

Rising Star Award | Jackson Wild | 2024

Winner, Flora and Fungi | Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year | Canadian Geographic | 2024

Fujifilm Create Forever: Best Student Film Award for Mutinda | New York WILD Film Festival | 2023

Winner, Aquatic Life | Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year | Canadian Geographic | 2022

Filmmakers Assistance Program Grant | National Film Board of Canada | 2021

Merrell x VICE Future 40 Under 40 | 2021

People’s Choice Award for Fly The Roof | Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival | 2021

Commended for Mountain Parrot | Bird Photographer of the Year | 2020

Education

PhD Bioengineering | University of Canterbury | Department of Mechanical Engineering | Christchurch, New Zealand | 2021

BSc Materials Engineering | University of Alberta | Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering | Edmonton, Canada | 2013

Professional Affiliations

Canadian Society of Cinematographers | Associate Member

Canadian Conservation Photographers Collective | Photographer

Documentary Organization of Canada | Northwest Chapter Member