James Levelle - Speaker

James Levelle is an award-winning sustainability and adventure filmmaker known for his work with Discovery, National Geographic, and the BBC. He focuses on creative, nature-based solutions to social, ecological, and climate challenges.
James's journey began in 2007 when he was sent by the Environmental Justice Foundation to document child labour in India and illegal fishing in West Africa. These experiences shaped his understanding of film's potential to drive change. He later directed the acclaimed series ‘Eco Crime Investigators’ for National Geographic, exposing the illegal trade in tiger skins and the logging industry in Southeast Asia. His adventures included filming India’s last wild tigers and endangered orangutans in Indonesia.
He gained further recognition for his daring expeditions, such as hitchhiking 6,000 miles across South America for the series ‘Free Ride’ and trekking through Alaska for ‘Gold Rush Trail’. A near-fatal encounter with a hurricane prompted him to rethink his approach to climate storytelling. This led to his project ‘Race for the Future’, where he travelled 9,000 miles from the UK to Chile without fossil fuels, documenting youth climate voices for the United Nations Climate Conference.
James has been featured in major publications and has appeared on BBC TV and radio. He has presented at prestigious events, including the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards and the Royal Foundation’s ‘Generation Earthshot Prize’. While he remains passionate about adventure, he is now focusing on local communities to foster better relationships with nature and inspire positive change.