Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival 2020

Program 09 - AFRICAN LENS

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A native park ranger shares the secrets of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda, one of the most biodivers places in the world with almost 300 bird species, over 1,000 plant species, and dozens of large and small mammals. 25 years after the devastation of the Rwandan Civil War, the park is now one of the best-conserved montane rainforests in Central Africa. As Claver walks through the forest we uncover the origins of his conservation values and the history of an ecosystem that survived one of Rwanda's darkest periods.



Director's Statement:

Despite the globalized nature of society today, many people do not have the opportunity to personally experience the transformative power of the wilderness they impact. Visual storytelling is a powerful tool that creates emotional connections between people and the natural world and thus facilitates the protection of our planet’s wild places. My goal is to tell these stories.

  • Year
    2019
  • Runtime
    11 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    Rwanda, USA
  • Premiere
    May 31, 2019
  • Note
    Director Biography - Chema Domenech: I am an MFA student at Montana State University. I specialize in wildlife and nature cinematography but enjoy working on a variety of projects and in different capacities. The collaborative nature of filmmaking is what drew me to the medium and I have developed collaborative skills with all facets of production, pre to post. I have been fortunate to work on some cool projects while in school, my credits include work for BBC, CBC, National Geographic, Smithsonian Channel, PBS, and Rwanda Development Board. I live in Bozeman, Montana where I am finishing my MFA but work all over the world. My mission is to convey the transformative power of the wilderness to create emotional connections between people and the natural world.
  • Director
    Chema Domenech
  • Producer
    Chema Domenech
  • Cast
    Claver Ntoyinkima - "self"
  • Editor
    Kelly Carpenter
  • Composer
    Ian McLeod