For more informa on, contact: Xan Aranda / [email protected] / (773) 290‐9623 www.MilkingTheRhino.org A ferocious kill on the Serenge ... warnings about endangered species… These clichés of nature documentaries disregard a key part of the landscape: villagers just off‐camera who navigate the dangers and costs of living with wildlife.
Africa is emerging from a history of “white man conserva on” that displaced indigenous people, banned subsistence hun ng, and fueled resentment. Now, a revolu on in grass‐roots wildlife conserva on is turning poachers into protectors. But change doesn’t come easy.
With memorable characters and spectacular loca ons, MILKING THE RHINO tells joyful, penetra ng and heartbreaking stories from Kenya and Namibia – revealing the high stakes obstacles facing Community Conserva on today.
DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY DAVID E. SIMPSON Co‐Producers: Jeannie R. Magill and Rehad Desai Execu ve Producer: Gordon Quinn From Kartemquin Films, the makers of HOOP DREAMS and other award‐winning documentaries.
CONTACT Xan Aranda [email protected] Telephone: (773) 290‐9623 LENGTH 85 minutes FORMAT High Defini on COMPLETED June, 2008 www.MilkingTheRhino.org
MILKING THE RHINO is a co‐produc on of David E. Simpson, Kartemquin Films, and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corpora on for Public Broadcas ng (CPB). Himba women herding ca le, Marienfluss Valley, Namibia (Photo: Jason Longo)
View the trailer at h p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6vWkQTlNLs
A selec on of press, cast, crew, and produc on images may be viewed at h p://www.flickr.com/photos/milkingtherhino/sets
For more informa on and hi‐res images, contact: Xan Aranda / [email protected] / (773) 290‐9623
MILKING THE RHINO is a co‐produc on of David E. Simpson, Kartemquin Films, and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corpora on For Public Broadcas ng (CPB).
Major funding for MILKING THE RHINO was provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Founda on. www.MilkingTheRhino.org Director’s Statement
I like wild animals as much as the next person, but what drew me to MILKING THE RHINO was the people. I wanted to tell the story of conserva on from the African perspec ve — something that I, for one, had never seen. Africa is the world’s conserva on laboratory. But like most Westerners I was ignorant of the dark side of Africa's conserva on history: that it furthered the tourism‐agendas of colonial governments while displacing and aliena ng indigenous people. In post‐colonial mes, conserva on has been turned on its head by a growing consensus that the world’s remaining wildlife is doomed unless local people are given a say and a stake in preserving it. My goal in MILKING THE RHINO was to explore the nuances and complexi es of this new people‐centered approach. I’m cap vated by the no on of a community undergoing rapid, radical change. The Himba and Maasai are among the oldest ca le cultures on earth; herding is in their DNA. So for the Il Ngwesi community to retool their economy and lifestyle to favor eco‐tourism and conserva on – at the expense of grass and space for ca le – is like removing a rib. I’m fascinated by the con nuing debate within the community, and by the collision of ancient ways with Western expecta ons. My hope is that this film will cause audiences to revise their images of Africa and Africans. Most Westerners see Africa through a haze of reportage about wars, AIDS, poverty, corrup on. Rural Africa in par cular is viewed as backwards and/or roman cally pure. By weaving stories of complex, mul ‐ faceted characters, MILKING THE RHINO breaks with stereotype to paint rural Africans as akina sisi – “people like us.” ‐ David E. Simpson July, 2008
PHOTO: David E. Simpson (left front) with James Ole Kinyaga (right front) at Il Ngwesi Lodge, Kenya
For more informa on, contact: Xan Aranda / [email protected] / (773) 290‐9623 www.MilkingTheRhino.org Crew
David E. Simpson has cra ed award‐winning films for twenty‐five years. As a producer, director and editor he plies his trade in the belief that a well‐told story can move viewers’ hearts and minds regarding crucial, human issues.
David co‐produced and directed WHEN BILLY BROKE HIS HEAD, a documentary about disability culture that won the Sundance Film Fes val’s “Freedom of Expression Award,” along with major prizes at dozens of other fes vals. He recently co‐produced and edited FORGIVING DR. MENGELE, David E. Simpson about an Auschwitz survivor’s controversial campaign of Producer/Director/Writer/Editor forgiveness, which won the 2006 Slamdance Grand Jury Prize for documentaries. David directed REFRIGERATOR MOTHERS, about a genera on of mothers who raised au s c children under the shadow of professionally‐MOTHERS promoted mother‐blame. The film won top honors at the Florida, Indiana, and Sedona film fes vals and aired on the PBS series P.O.V. David produced and directed Halsted Street, USA, a mul ‐award‐winning snapshot of America through the prism of one mul ‐cultural street. His experimental narra ve, Dante’s Dream, a re‐working of Dante’s cosmology, earned five 1st‐Place fes val awards.
When not producing‐direc ng his own work, David edits long‐form documentaries. His credits include Kartemquin Films’ recent release TERRA INCOGNITA: MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH, which aired on PBS’ Independent Lens; the PBS/Kartemquin series THE NEW AMERICANS; the Emmy‐nominated NOVA: MYSTERIOUS CRASH OF FLIGHT 201; Frontline/Marian Marzynski’s SHTETL (grand prix, Cinema du Real); Kartemquin Films’ 5 GIRLS and VIETNAM LONG TIME COMING; and an episode of THE PEOPLE’S CENTURY for BBC/PBS.
Jeannie R. Magill owned and operated Westwind Safaris and Tours, a safari company specializing in educa onal safaris to Kenya. She was a Visi ng Scholar with the Program of African Studies, Northwestern University; and she served as a consultant to the renova on of the African wing of Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History. She has chaired panel discussions for the African Trade Associa on Congress, presented numerous educa onal talks, and published many ar cles for travel trade newspapers and magazines. She recently moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jeannie R. Magill Originator/Co-Producer
For more informa on, contact: Xan Aranda / [email protected] / (773) 290‐9623 www.MilkingTheRhino.org Crew, continued Rehad Desai has a history degree from the University of Zimbabwe and a postgraduate degree in TV and film producing. In 1996 he entered the TV and film industry as a director and producer, where he has focused much of his energy on historical and socio‐poli cal produc ons. His 2004 documentary BORN INTO STRUGGLE, about his rela onship with his father – a leader in the South African libera on movement – won numerous awards, including the Cape Town World Cinema Fes val. Rehad is presently the South African Rehad Desai, Co-Producer board member for SACOD, a regional filmmakers organiza on, and is convener for the United Producers Ini a ve in South Africa.
Jason Longo graduated from Ithaca College in 1994 with a BFA in Film, Photography & the Visual Arts. Jason’s camerawork has been showcased on the PBS programs Frontline, The American Experience, and NOVA, as well as on The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, TLC, and The Na onal Geographic Channel. Recent works include RAISING CAIN, a 2‐hour PBS special examining the emo onal lives of adolescent boys, and PATRIOTS DAY, a film about the lives of revolu onary war re‐enactors in Boston. Currently, Jason is co‐producing and photographing Jason Longo, Camera STANDARDS OF DECENCY, a film following a mentally retarded man on Mississippi’s death row.
Na ve Chicagoan Richard Pooler brings to his work twenty years experience in loca on and documentary sound recording. His credits include Bob Hercules’ DID THEY BUY IT? (1990), the Frontline series COUNTRY BOYS (2006), and Steve James’ REEL PARADISE. Richard is preparing for a produc on trip to Nepal, where he will record sound for a documentary about the treatment of uterine prolapse among remote popula ons. Richard K. Pooler Location Sound Recording
President and founding member of Kartemquin Films, Gordon Quinn has been making documentaries for over 40 years. Roger Ebert called Kartemquin’s first film HOME FOR LIFE (1966) “an extraordinarily moving documentary.” Gordon has created a legacy that is an inspira on for young filmmakers and Kartemquin is a home where they can make films that inves gate and cri que society. Kartemquin’s best‐known film, HOOP DREAMS (1994) was Gordon Quinn execu ve produced by Gordon. Recent works include STEVIE Executive Producer (2003), for which Gordon, the film’s Execu ve Producer and Cinematographer, won the Cinematography fwhich Gordon, who was the film’s execu ve producer, producer Award at the Sundance Film Fes val, FIVE GIRLS (2001), REFRIGERATOR MOTHERS (2002), and VIETNAM LONG TIME COMING (1999). Broadcast on NBC, the film and cine won a Na onal Emmy and Director’s Guild of America’s award for Best Documentary. Gordon execu ve produced THE NEW AMERICANS (2004) and directed the Pales nian segment of this award winning seven‐hour PBS series, and recently produced GOLUB, LATE WORKS ARE THE CATASTROPHES (2005).
For more informa on, contact: Xan Aranda / [email protected] / (773) 290‐9623 www.MilkingTheRhino.org David E. Simpson Filmography - Director DIRECTOR REFRIGERATOR MOTHERS PRODUCER MILKING THE RHINO DIRECTOR Honorable Men on, PRODUCER WANDERLUST PRODUCER PARADISO (Full list available upon request) Jury Award, First Place‐ Experimental Film, Grand Prize PRODUCER DANTE’S DREAM PRODUCER TOM CHICAGO ON LOCATION (Full list available upon request) Silver Hugo, First Place ‐ Documentary, Best Documentary, Best Journalis c Film Audience Award, DuPont‐Columbia Award Freedom of Expression Award, CO WHEN BILLY BROKE HIS HEAD… AND OTHER TALES OF WONDER Featured on Screened at Grand Jury Prize, Gold Medal‐ Social Issue Documentary PRODUCER HALSTED STREET, (Full list available upon request) Best of Show Best Documentary Grand Jury Prize
‐ DIRECTOR / / / / / / / CO
DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR /
, Cinema c Arts Film & Video Fes val New York Exposi on of Short Film & Video Southern Film Circuit Tour, 2000 MoMA’s Chicago Interna onal Film Fes val ‐ , Indiana Film Society “ PRODUCER CO
‐ , Florida Film Fes val
PRODUCER
Vis.com Leipzig Int’l Documentary & Anima on Fes val U.S.A , Sedona Interna onal Film Fes val / / / / / / Atlanta Film Fes val Chicago Interna onal Film Fes val
, Leipzig Int’l Documentary & Anima on Fes val
WRITER CINEMATOGRAPHER CINEMATOGRAPHER CINEMATOGRAPHER VIDEOGRAPHER WRITER New Documentaries Series / . EDITOR
for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism Film & Video Fes val / Central Florida Film & Video Fes val EDITOR / /
EDITOR EDITOR
Cinema c Arts Film & Video Fes val
Sundance Film Fes val
2002,
/ 1994, 2008, Indyfest EDITOR 1999, / / / DOCUMENTARY , Houston Interna onal Film Fes val EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR DOCUMENTARY
DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY 1990, ”
1975, 1990, 1990,
DOCUMENTARY
, 54
EXPERIMENTAL EXPERIMENTAL EXPERIMENTAL , 57
MIN , 85 , 57 MIN
[email protected] MIN MIN
, 23
tel , 11 , 3 , 10
MIN / fax: (773) 761‐8855 Chicago, Illinois USA MIN MIN MIN
David E. Simpson
Filmography
, pg. 1 of 2 PRODUCER / EDITOR
MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH: TERRA INCOGNITA EDITOR 2007, DOCUMENTARY, 83 MIN Official Selec on, Interna onal Documentary Film Fes val Amsterdam
FORGIVING DR. MENGELE CO‐PRODUCER / EDITOR 2006, DOCUMENTARY, 82 MIN Special Jury Prize for Documentary, Slamdance Film Fes val
SOMEBODY’S CHILD: THE REDEMPTION OF RWANDA EDITOR 2004, DOCUMENTARY, 52MIN Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short, New York Interna onal Independent Film & Video Fes val
THE NEW AMERICANS SUPERVISING EDITOR 2004, DOCUMENTARY TELEVISION SERIES, SEVEN 60 MIN EPISODES Gold Hugo, Chicago Interna onal Television Compe on Chicago Award, Chicago Interna onal Television Associa on Best Limited Series Award, Interna onal Documentary Associa on Special Screening, Interna onal Documentary Film Fes val Amsterdam
5 GIRLS CO‐PRODUCER / EDITOR 2001, DOCUMENTARY, 113 MIN Henry Hampton Award, Council on Founda ons Film/Video Fes val Silver Plaque, Chicago Interna onal Film & Television Compe on Outstanding Achievement Award, Parents’ Guide to Children’s Media
VIETNAM – LONG TIME COMING SUPERVISING EDITOR 1998, DOCUMENTARY, 116MIN Audience Award, Aspen Film Fes val Best Documentary, Directors’ Guild of America Best Documentary, Temecula Valley Interna onal Film Fes val (Full list available upon request)
LIVING IN TALL TREES EDITOR / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER 1997, TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY, 29 MIN
SHTETL EDITOR / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER 1996, DOCUMENTARY, 172 MIN Grand Prix, Cinéma du Réel, Paris First Place, Jerusalem Film Fes val
SKIN DEEP EDITOR / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER 1996, TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY, 52 MIN
NOVA: MYSTERIOUS CRASH OF FLIGHT 201 EDITOR / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER 1993, TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY, 53 MIN Nominee, Na onal Emmy Award Excellence in Media Award, Na onal Aeronau cs and Avia on Administra on Filmography, pg. 2 of 2 Credits
Kartemquin Films & Independent Lens present
MILKING THE RHINO A film by David E. Simpson
Directed, Produced, Wri en, and Edited by David E. Simpson
Originator & Co‐Producer Jeannie R. Magill
Execu ve Producer Gordon Quinn
Photographed by Jason Longo
Loca on Sound Recording Richard K. Pooler
Original Music Mark Bandy
Narrator Munyikombo Bukusi
Co‐Producer Rehad Desai
Associate Producer Xan Aranda
Associate Editor Liz Kaar
Edi ng Consultant Gordon Quinn
Technical Supervision Jim Morrisse e
Addi onal Music Joel Diamond
Addi onal Camera/Sound David E. Simpson Addi onal Edi ng Kartemquin Interns Aaron Wickenden Mary Adekoya Dorian Anderson Archival Research Michael Carney Carolyn Faber Michael Chandler Shana East Loca on Guides/Fixers Ryan Gilbert Boas Hambo Bryce Goodman Etosha Karutjaiua Elliot Greenberger Nancy Kireu Susan Hanrahan Kirsten Johnson Transla on Amadi Jordan‐Walker Silas Kimerei Brendan Kirwin Manfred Tjitjo Jessi Knowles Gerson Kapi Danielle Krudy John Kasaona Ma Lauterbach Kimberly Eggert Ahnna Lee Todd Lillethun Narra on Recording Charle Lucke Experimental Sound Studio Meghan McGillen Lou Malozzi – Engineer Fouzia Najar Aziza Ngozi‐Walker Audio Mix Nick Nummerdor Mark Bandy Kevin O'Dowd Chad Owen Digital Color Correc on Neal Patel Nolo Digital Film, LLC Jackie Robinson Mike Matusek –Colorist Dinesh Sabu Boris Seagraves – Engineer Tom Salek Joe Flanagan ‐ Producer Brian Schodorf Rich Simpson Tape Capture & Conversions Beckie Stocche Global Video, LLC Ivana Stolkiner Ka e Weber Title & Graphics Ma Wi mer Dizzy Giant, LLC Ellen Wohlberg Dan Sharkey Ma Sharkey Addi onal Transcrip on Dorothee Royal‐Hedinger Online Edi ng Ashley Barnes Media Process Group Jennifer Brandel Steve Hullfish – Editor John Kostka Carol Martori Produc on Support Staff Jennie Gambach Archival Footage Jus ne Nagan Budget Films Zak Piper Fred MacDonald Archive Joanna Rudnick Library of Congress Na onal Geographic Bookkeeping Smithsonian Ins tu on Yvonne Afable South African Na onal Film & Video Archive Pam Diaz WPA Music “Etono” “Samburu” Performed by Tradi onal Ar sts and Mark Performed by Bomas of Kenya Bandy Courtesy of ARC Music Produc ons Courtesy of Tamasha Corpora on Limited Interna onal Ltd. “Ndingo” “Litungu (Bukusu)” Performed by Tradi onal Ar sts Performed by Tradi onal Ar sts Courtesy of Buda Musique Courtesy of Tamasha Corpora on Limited “Yamala” “Nya – Ndalo‐Manyieny” Performed by Yunasi Performed by Bomas of Kenya Courtesy of Yunasi Courtesy of ARC Music Produc ons Interna onal Ltd. “Windhoek” Wri en & Performed by Mark Bandy “Il Ngwesi Lodge” Courtesy of Mark Bandy Wri en & Performed by Mark Bandy Courtesy of Mark Bandy “Growth of Conservancies” Wri en & Performed by Mark Bandy “Changing Culture” Courtesy of Mark Bandy Wri en & Performed by Mark Bandy Featuring Michael Levin “100‐Year Lease” Courtesy of Mark Bandy Wri en & Performed by Otuma Ole Kuraru Courtesy of Otuma Ole Kuraru “Kimanga Cha Manga” Performed by Bomas of Kenya “Herdsman” Courtesy of ARC Music Produc ons Wri en & Performed by Kalahari Surfers Interna onal Ltd. Courtesy of Warrick Sony
“Chant Himba” “Aounga” Performed by Tradi onal Ar sts Performed by Tradi onal Ar sts Courtesy of Buda Musique Courtesy of Buda Musique
“Himba” Thank You Composed & Performed by Joel Diamond Diane Billing Courtesy of Joel Diamond Jerry Blumenthal Elizabeth Chadri “Omoramba” Ian Craig Performed by Tradi onal Ar sts Helen Gichohi, PhD Courtesy of Buda Musique Peter Gilbert Emily Hart “Conflict” Jeff Heilizer Wri en & Performed by Mark Bandy Robert Hitchcock, PhD Featuring Michael Levin on flute Beth Iams Courtesy of Mark Bandy Kaburu Ikunyua Il Ngwesi Group Ranch “Myth of Wild Africa” Margaret Jacobsohn, PhD Featuring Michael Levin Steve James Wri en & Performed by Mark Bandy John Kasaona Courtesy of Mark Bandy James Ole Kinyaga The Ian Korleski Family Lewa Safari Camp Lindberg Safaris Hector Magome, PhD Lamson Makuleke Livingston Makuleke Marienfluss Conservancy Stuart Marks, PhD Daniel Miller Charles Mwi Karen No Ben Roman Leslie Simmer Garth Owen‐Smith The Sancho Soeiro Family Ines, Jasha & Leon Sommer‐Simpson Clive Stockill Aaron Wickenden Wilderness Safaris R. Michael Wright
Development Assistance Julie F. Simpson
Funding provided by: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Founda on Na onal Endowment for the Arts Illinois Arts Council
And others. A complete list is available from PBS.
Execu ve Producer for ITVS Sally Jo Fifer Milking the Rhino is a co‐produc on of David E. Simpson, Kartemquin Educa onal Films and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corpora on for Public Broadcas ng (CPB).
This program was produced by Kartemquin Educa onal Films, which is solely responsible for its content www.MilkingTheRhino.org
© 2008 Kartemquin Educa onal Films All Rights Reserved.
(End of Credits) Background on Community-Based Conservation
The empty spaces of a na onal park are an ar fact in Africa. A na onal park speaks of people no longer able to coexist with animals — of reserva ons for Na ve Americans in the United States and Bantustans in South Africa. What is truly at stake is the loss of our ability to coexist among ourselves, much less with other species. With the disappearance of Maasai, Bushman and Pygmy tradi ons, and the establishment of parks, we have made space for nature but lost the in macy of living with it. When you have lived among people who live with nature, it is hard to accept that coexistence is dead.
‐ David Western, conserva onist and author
When colonial governments in Africa wanted to create protected areas to house Africa’s immense diversity of flora and fauna, they looked to America for their model. Yellowstone Na onal Park, created in 1872, ushered in a preserva onist paradigm that erected fences between wildlife and humans. Like Yellowstone, the crea on of Africa’s parks and preserves involved the forced removal of thousands of indigenous people whose coexistence with wildlife was deemed untenable. This strategy ignored the fact that many of the people evicted had been living in ecological balance with wild animals for millennia. But it appealed to African administrators who, like their western counterparts, were par al to the “myth of a wild Africa,” one where animals exist in splendid isola on from human interference.
While enshrining wildlife in protected areas, most Twen eth Century African governments banned subsistence hun ng by indigenous people, making safari hun ng a socially exclusive ac vity. But animals refuse to stay within park boundaries. 70% of Africa’s wildlife lives outside contained areas. As human development spreads, so do conflicts. Elephants and buffalo destroy crops; antelope compete with ca le for scarce grazing resources; predators a ack humans and livestock, devasta ng communi es. Suffering losses to life and livelihood, but unable to legally hunt, many rural Africans came to view wildlife resen ully as “the White Man’s property.” By the la er half of the 20th century, spurred by the growing independence of many African na ons, conserva on had become charged with poli cal conflict. Poaching and social upheaval threatened the future of wild animals even in protected areas.
In the past three decades, a new brand of thinking ‐‐ based on the idea that people who live amongst wildlife are o en ideally suited to be its protectors ‐‐ has turned conserva on upside down. Known variously as CBC (Community‐based Conserva on), CBNRM (Community‐based Natural Resource Management), CBWM (Community‐based Wildlife Management), etc. ‐‐ the various strands all share a common set of goals: to grant communi es sustainable use of natural resources from which they previously had been barred, invest local people with conserva on decision‐making powers, and recognize communi es’ historical rights of tenure to resources and land. In programs supported by government and private sector funding, community‐run eco‐ lodges and cultural tourism turn wildlife into an asset for remote communi es. Sustainable‐use hun ng quotas can bolster the community’s meat intake or be auc oned off to trophy‐hun ng safari operators. Community game‐guard programs, established to monitor and protect wildlife, provide employment and u lize animal‐tracking skills innate to the community for genera ons. In these and other ways, ranchers, farmers and pastoralists are finding new reasons to preserve protected areas and conserve wildlife and other natural resources on their own lands.
( Background on CBC con nues next page ) Background on CBC, continued
Yet CBC faces formidable cri cs and obstacles. Tradi onal preserva onists and some animal rights advocates challenge the no on of “sustainable u liza on” of wildlife, and warn that endangered species will suffer. Governments and developers balk at ceding land rights to pastoral people. Academics and funders ques on whether CBC is living up to its hype: do the benefits really trickle down to the average household? How has wildlife fared? What are the reali es on the ground?
The transfer of authority over conserva on to local people is a process fraught with difficul es. It will not happen quickly or easily. The mixed track record of community‐conserva on to date provides a cau onary tale. However, few serious conserva onists advocate returning to the orthodox “fences and fines” approach that bred resentment between communi es and the very idea of conserva on. Most people working in the field agree that while community‐based conserva on faces daun ng obstacles, it must be made to work.
Background on CBC, pg. 2 of 2 Interview with David E. Simpson By Betsy Cass, Kartemquin Films Summer Intern The original interview may be found at h p://kartemquin.com/newsle er/2008/08/milking‐the‐rhino‐interview
Where did the seed, the original idea, for Milking the Rhino come from?
The idea for the film came to me from my co‐producer, Jeannie McGill, who has a background in educa on safaris in Kenya. I think she had taken a class in environmental ethics and became aware of trends in Kenya toward community‐based conserva on and decided that more people in our Western world needed to know what was going on in community conserva on. When she found me I couldn’t disagree. It just struck me as a terrific idea for a film, because people in the northern hemisphere are largely unaware of what conserva on means nowadays. They’re basically thinking of a twenty year out of date model, some mes known as the fortress model, which means you erect fences around reserves. Most of the conserva on world is now of the consensus that for wildlife to survive and to do well in a meaningful way, there has to be some stake in its survival. There has to be some stake for people, rural people, who live amongst them.
Were there any special prepara ons you went through in making this film, especially pre‐produc on aspects?
Yeah, it was pre y challenging to get ready for the shoots, because 90% of the filming was done at really remote loca ons, par cularly in Namibia, where we were off the typical safari path, up in areas that aren’t easily accessed. You have to drive three days from the capital city to get where these communi es are and electricity is rare. You have ba eries to charge; you have to find means of transporta on. We had to find camping gear. There were stretches where we didn’t have a bed to sleep in, so we had to be pre y self‐ sufficient. Between that and the some mes tricky visa and filming permit securing processes, in Namibia in par cular, there was a lot of pre‐produc on.
Did you have a guide when you were there? Who was responsible for organizing that aspect of it?
I was responsible for organizing it, but with huge help from Jeannie and our associate producer Xan Aranda. Early on we made a good contact with one NGO that’s par ally featured in the Namibian story. They’re called IRDNC. They’re a grassroots, on the ground, field NGO, so they loaned us one of their field people and one of their vehicles and then we had our vehicle as well. They could guide us up to where we needed to go and make introduc ons to people. Usually the person from this organiza on had business up there, so they weren’t only guides; they became characters. Our main character in Namibia, John, was a field officer for this NGO and is now the assistant director of the place. His work became part of the story.
The film has been discussed as “the other side” of a nature documentary, but a lot of the process of shoo ng actually looked like it was a li le bit similar. Have you ever done anything like that before?
No, I’d never done any nature or wildlife photography. There are some days when we would focus on wildlife, par cularly in Kenya. Out of the 50 shoo ng days there were probably 3 days that were just dedicated to shoo ng wildlife. But we weren’t quite equipped the way that Planet Earth is. We had a truck and a tripod and a great cameraman. But for me it was always the people who were the focus. It was the way the cultures were undergoing vast, radical transforma on because of this new poten al in the wildlife economy. That’s what was fascina ng to me.
I guess this is fairly unusual for documentary, but when you’re watching the film, you can really feel the presence of the crew. Was that a conscious decision? ( Interview con nues next page ) Interview, continued That’s a tough ques on. I would say that we had no deliberate inten on to make ourselves part of the story, nor do I ever want to propagate the myth that this is life captured objec vely, because there’s no such thing. I think that you can, to some extent, always sense the crew’s and the director’s rela onship to their subject in the way that the subject is interac ng: how much they’re willing to open up, how they interact with the camera, how they address the camera or the person standing next to it.
There is some tension in the film, both racial and cultural tension. I was wondering how you built the rela onship with your subjects and made it clear you weren’t exploi ng them.
I think that the rela onship is founded, first of all, on the fact that we were with people from an NGO that were well trusted. You can’t find a place on earth, hardly, where film crews haven’t been. And if they’re extremely remote places, film crews are that much more a racted to them. So you will o en find that people in remote places have already had nega ve experiences with the media or with film crews. We find ourselves having to repair the damage. I hope it also has to do with the fact that they can sense that we’re genuinely interested in telling their story from their perspec ve, which is always the rock bo om goal of the film: to tell what community conserva on feels like from the rural African perspec ve instead of the white conserva on perspec ve, which is the view of every other conserva on film I’ve ever seen. I think that people really did sense that we respected and were interested in their experience.
The film ends on a hopeful note, with rain (a er a long drought), but it doesn’t really give much of a sense of closure. Did you feel a sense of uncertainty when you were filming about the future of either your subjects or that sort of grassroots conserva on?
Very much so. The rain is a momentarily upbeat note, but it certainly isn’t meant to imply that everything’s going to be all peachy keen from here on out. There are a lot ques ons about whether those two places (portrayed in the film) will work. So, it’s by no means sure that this is a formula that can be prescribed successfully. But what we did feel in terms of a sense of hopefulness, was that there were some really, really commi ed people, like our two main characters, John and James, who are passionate and commi ed and smart and are going to try and make things work for these communi es in our film. There are, by extension, a lot of other places, commi ed individuals and commi ed grassroots NGOs that really want to make this work for the right reasons. But there are a lot of obstacles. In fact, one irony in the Kenya story is that early in the film somebody says, well, “What if we get a drought of tourism like happened a er 9/11, when the tourism dried up? Then we’re really pu ng all our eggs in one basket.” And it was their own poli cal unrest in Kenya that brought about a horrible drought of tourism, just earlier last year. Tourism just completely dried up in all of the mainstream safari circuits and also for a place like il Ngwesi. They suffered pre y badly, so they are vulnerable to that. But that’s what makes it a great story to me. These people are taking a gamble collec vely, as a community. Gambling may be the wrong word because it implies a certain irresponsibility. They’re making a sort of calculated wager and they’re doing it in a pre y sophis cated manner.
The world premiere is going to be Johannesburg?
Yeah. It’s premiering at this very exci ng film fes val (the TriCon nental Film Fes val). It’s actually premiering in four different ci es. It’s going from Jo‐burg to Cape Town to Pretoria to Durban. We’ll also, when we’re in South Africa, be mee ng with some poten al partners to distribute the film throughout Southern Africa at the community level, doing mobile screenings and get it distributed educa onally and more grassroots.
And finally, what are you working on next?
I’m s ll trying to recuperate from this. In some ways finishing the film is the beginning of the next phase.
(July, 2008) Interview, pg. 2 of 2