(MY) Nature on Film

[Guest guest]

Tuesday September 13, 2005 - The Star

 

 

Nature on film

 

By TAN CHENG LI

 

An award-winning documentary detailing the destruction of the Temenggor

forest in Perak is one of the highlights of South-East Asia’s first

environmental film festival to be held in Kuching, Sarawak, in December.

 

Made by local production company Novista, Temenggor – Biodiversity in the

Face of Danger took home the best documentary trophy at this year’s

Malaysian Film Festival and is a moving tale of how logging is wiping out

the biodiversity of the forest.

 

This documentary and other environmental films from around the world will be

featured at the Asean-News World International Environmental Film Festival.

 

The event is an integral part of the International Media and Environment

Summit from Nov 30 to Dec 2, in which journalists, media academics,

environmental organisations and scientists will gather to discuss how best

to report on pressing environmental issues.

 

 

The film festival will add another dimension to talks and workshops included

in the summit, where topics will range from sustainable development to

eco-tourism, corporate and social responsibility and the communication of

marine stories.

 

“We live in one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world. That these

natural resources are precious and ours to protect can be vividly and widely

conveyed through the medium of film. This is why this Film Festival deserves

our strongest support. It is an excellent approach to increase environmental

awareness in South-East Asia,” says Asean secretary-general Ong Keng Yong.

 

The film festival will be held from Dec 1 to 2 at the old courthouse in the

historic district of Kuching. The filmmakers will be available to answer

questions following the screenings.

 

Here are the highlights of the Asean-News World International Environmental

Film Festival:

 

Temenggor – Biodiversity in the Face of Danger (Novista/Malaysia)

 

Being immensely rich in biodiversity has not spared Temenggor from the

chainsaw. In this film, scientists and conservationists highlight the need

to protect Temenggor not only for its rare plants and animals, but also its

role in providing fresh air, clean water and potentially life-saving

medicines.

 

China Bear Special (BBC/Britain)

 

This Wildscreen 2004 award-winning film highlights the plight of China’s

Asiatic black bears. Over 6,500 bears are kept in tiny cages and milked

daily for their bile. The extraordinary team at the Animals Asia Foundation

Bear Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is dedicated to saving these bears

from the bile trade.

 

Tears of Wood (Tawak Pictures/France)

 

Another recipient of the Wildscreen 2004 award, this poetic film is on the

biodiversity of the Indonesian rainforest. The camera follows a male orang

utan through the jungle and allows viewers to discover the plants, insects,

reptiles and mammals that are part of its habitat.

 

The 18th Elephant (ANMPU Media Trust/India)

 

The sad plight of the elephant in both wild and domesticated states is used

to point out how man’s mercenary attitude towards nature has wreaked death

and havoc on the life and habitat of other species.

 

Return of the Cheetah (Granada Wild/Britain)

 

Wildlife expert Peter Gros headed to Namibia to learn how the Cheetah

Conservation Fund safeguards the world’s fastest sprinter.

 

Alien Invasion (Greenpeace International/Britain)

 

An alien debate – which planet should they save? Some are in favour of

saving Planet Earth, others are not so sure. The debate is a short one.

 

Deep Jungle (Granada Wild, Thirteen/WNET New York, National Geographic

International and France 5)

 

Half of all the earth’s creatures live in the rainforests, yet 85% of it has

not been explored. Some forests are home to tribes which have never had

contact with the outside world. This film is a jaw-dropping exploration of

the world’s incredible rainforests. It reveals how cutting-edge technology

has changed jungle exploration, allowing scientists to unlock the secrets of

these habitats.

 

Ape Hunters (BBC/ Britain)

 

In central Africa, chimpanzees and gorillas are hunted for their meat. From

the viewpoint of well-fed people in the developed world, this “slaughter”

might seem easy to condemn, but in the forests of Cameroon, the situation is

a lot more complicated.

 

World Wide Fund for Nature Series

 

These short films highlight the group’s conservation efforts in various

countries. One film focuses on scientific officer Hymeir Kamarudin, who is

surveying the limestone caves of Perlis with a view to opening them up for

tourism. Providing local villagers with an alternative source of income will

hopefully, reduce exploitation of forests. Another film features logger

turned environmentalist Demetrio Romion, and his efforts in stopping illegal

tree cutting at the Mount Guiting National Park in the Philippines.

 

In China, Dr Lei Guangchu works with communities along the Yangtze River and

encourages them to adapt to the annual floods such as by moving to higher

ground and starting different industries and agriculture. In Australia, Marc

Wohling’s team is tagging and fitting satellite transmitters to green

turtles off northern Australia to map their migratory routes and habits, in

order to create a conservation plan for their future.

 

For more information on the International Media and Environment Summit, go

to www.newsworldnature.com

 

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