Stories change how people think, feel and act.

For decades, Fin Films has helped broadcasters, charities, environmental campaigners, community groups and purpose-led businesses communicate complex ideas through powerful storytelling.

Whether directing character-led or science BBC documentaries, creating strong visual campaigns for WWF-UK, or helping local communities tell their own stories, Fin Films’ work has always had the same purpose: to connect ideas and people to illuminate and drive change.

The founder

Fin Films was set up by Janine Finlay, an RTS Award-winning filmmaker with more than 20 years’ experience in broadcast television in both New Zealand and the UK.

Janine had the incredible opportunity of setting up and leading the film unit for World Wildlife Fund (WWF-UK), and her films have taken her from the cotton fields of India to the rubbish dumps of Mexico City, from climate conferences to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. She has been described by the BBC as “extremely creative,” and by WWF as “fearless.”

Her work has earned her an RTS Award for Science and History Documentary, two BAFTA nominations, and recognition from the Celtic Media Awards and Soho Shorts.

Janine was one of only 16 filmmakers across Europe selected for the Discovery Campus Masterschool, where she developed her documentary Oh No Not Another Documentary About Climate Change alongside leading industry mentors. She also holds a Distinction in Creative Writing from The Open University. Storytelling is always at the core.

Janine is constantly seeking stories that connect people to place, ecology and culture.

She has lived experience of a community land acquisition as a resident and former Board Director - giving her first-hand experience within her village and a unique perspective on community resilience in the context of cultural and natural heritage.

Many of her recent projects have evolved to reflect this experience - including working within areas of deprivation to co-create place-based stories on issues that affect young people, working with vulnerable and marginalised groups to create empowering stories to effect change, and working with NGOs on community land-based initiatives to visually document the journey, challenges and outcomes.

Through landscape listening, Janine pays close attention to what is living around us and uses different ways of seeing and listening to find the stories already present within a place. This practice informs a series of short, high-quality nature films made in conjunction with The Community Ecology Movement. These encounters with nature bring to life the things living around us in Scotland, combining cinematic filmmaking with ecological knowledge, species insights and deep observation..