Tessa Barlin is a 26 year old wildlife and documentary filmmaker based in Cape Town. She is passionate about telling stories that link social justice issues to wildlife conservation, as she believes the two are intrinsically linked. Tessa has a postgraduate degree in documentary filmmaking from the University of Cape Town and has been freelancing in the film industry for 4 years. Tessa’s first environmental documentary won a SAFTA Award for Best Student Film in 2019 and has screened in over 21 cities worldwide. Her most recent short film, Beyond The Fence, has received three international awards as well as an Honourable Mention at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in March 2020. Tessa is currently working on a new film – The Star Project – for which she was awarded a grant by National Geographic Society.
