Melanie Haft joins New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Advisory Board

New Delhi: The 2026 New York Festivals Television & Film Awards has appointed Melanie Haft, Managing Director and Head of Production at nautilusfilm GmbH, to its Advisory Board. Nautilusfilm is Germany’s most awarded nature film production company.

Haft brings over two decades of experience in leading documentary productions and has been recognised internationally for her work in wildlife and environmental filmmaking. 

Her expertise in cinematic storytelling, production leadership, and creative innovation is expected to contribute to the Advisory Board’s evaluation of submissions across television and film genres.

"Every year, we work with our advisory board and industry thought leaders to make sure that our categories recognize the innovative content being created today world-wide across all genres and reflect our commitment to the passion of independent filmmakers,” said Rose Anderson, Executive Vice President, New York Festivals. 

"With Melanie’s addition to the Board, we gain insights of someone who is a recognized leader in the wildlife documentaries field."

Haft commented on her role and her perspective on nature documentaries: “I and our entire team at nautilusfilm are dedicated wildlife filmmakers and we sometimes wonder, why there are so few slots, platforms etc. focusing on this genre. Since our whole planet is co-habited by so many more species than humans, it does seem strange that there is so little space for films that feature the life of these other species.”

Nautilusfilm has earned more than 200 international awards, including 18 from New York Festivals, and Haft has overseen the production of more than 60 documentaries such as The Green Wonder, Our Forest, Magic of the Moors, and Wild Scandinavia. Her work has been recognised for combining visual artistry with environmental awareness.

In 2025, nautilusfilm received the NYF TV & Film Gold Award in Nature & Wildlife for Welcome to the Forest, Mind the Gap, part of a three-part mini-series for Germany’s ARD, ARTE, and TerraMater. 

Previous recognitions include Gold awards in Environment & Ecology, Cinematography, and Nature & Wildlife for projects such as What is Wilderness? (2023), Be Wild! (2022), The Meadow, Paradise Lost? (2021), and Magical Iceland (2020).

Haft studied Media and Communications at Augsburg University in Germany and has been a part of nautilusfilm since its founding years. She will join the Advisory Board alongside other industry leaders who help shape the New York Festivals’ evaluation process, ensuring that the competition recognises compelling and creative work from around the world.

The New York Festivals TV & Film Awards celebrates global excellence in television, film, and digital storytelling. The 2025 Storytellers Gala, held virtually from New York City, showcased winning work from around the world. The 2026 Storytellers Gala is scheduled for May 2026, and the deadline for entries in this year’s competition is December 31, 2025.

All submissions will be evaluated online by the NYF TV & Film Awards Grand Jury, a panel of over 300 award-winning producers, directors, writers, and creative media professionals. Winners will be announced at the 2026 Storytellers Gala and featured in the competition’s winners gallery.