SA doccie to premiere at film festivals
Deals with human-wildlife conflict
THE South African conservation documentary The Edge of Existence is to premiere at four international film festivals.
The documentary, directed by James Suter and Charlie Luckock of Black Bean Productions, will be screened at the Freeland Film Festival, the Garden Route International Film Festival (Griff), the Ireland Wildlife Film Festival, and the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (WCFF).
The Edge of Existence highlights the complex issues around human-wildlife conflict in Africa, focusing specifically on Tanzania. It delves into the issues concerning, and the causes and challenges of, the threat to wildlife and human life, and considers solutions.
It features sweeping shots of vast herds on the plains of Tanzania, juxtaposed against hard images that tell the story of life in villages, and the threat of poaching and the conflicts that arise from it.
Globally, conservation and wilderness areas are severely limited, and under threat. Conversely, local communities in the vicinity of wildlife areas suffer significant losses as farmers’ crops are decimated by elephants, and their livestock killed by predators.
Both wildlife and people are often injured or killed, especially in areas where wildlife reserves are not fenced.
“The situation results in a loss of income and even starvation, and in this context it is not surprising to see poaching on the increase, reinforced by local and international demand for bush meat,” said Suter.
“Even within the conservation space, human-wildlife conflict is a topic that, only recently, has started to be discussed. It has always lived in the shadow of poaching. Human-wildlife conflict … affects wilderness areas … and its impact is complex.
“You’ve got subsistence poaching; basically people hunting as they always did to feed themselves. On the other hand, you’ve got a huge demand for bush meat. It’s become a syndicate operation.There are large ports, like Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. It’s not impossible for these guys to illegally ship tons of bush meat in one shipment.”
In Tanzania, where the renowned annual wildlife migration takes place, Suter said tens of thousands of animals were poached every year with wire snares. “It’s a story that needs to be told and the issues discussed. Conservation is not sustainable unless we find workable solutions to human-wildlife conflict, that can support the communities affected; and against this backdrop the international trade in wildlife is just speeding up the destruction and driving species to extinction.”
Griff is on from September 21 to October 11. For more information visit https://www.gardenrouteinternationalfilmfestival.com/
The Freeland Film Festival will take place from September 11 to15. Visit: https://freelandfilmfest.eventive.org/ welcome The Ireland Wildlife Film Festival is on from September 10 to 15. Tickets are free via https://www. irelandwildlifefilmfestival.com/ The WCFF is on between October 1-31. Book via https://lnkd.in/d-PsTrY