film guide

finalist special jury profiles awards
Special jury awards
Recognizing an outstanding integration of the
historical, biological and cultural elements of the
Amazon rainforest.
In recognition of the inspiration and impact an
individual can make on the world.
This film was a finalist in the 360° All Things Forest category.
This film was a finalist in the Forest Hero category.
Amazon Alive:
Jungle of the Mind
Light & Shadow, GmbH
This is the story of how we have struggled to make
sense of the enormity and complexity of the Amazon
rainforest. Using key animals such as jaguar,
leaf-cutting ant, giant otter and the fresh-water stingray,
we show how we have turned past fears of the hostile
and impenetrable jungle into an understanding of its
unrivaled biodiversity. We discover that the forest is not
just the result of millions of years of evolution. Its
richness stems from struggle, upheaval and a
remarkable event, the geologic uplift of the Andes,
which changed the course of the Amazon River itself.
Using stunning visual content to transport the audience
deep into the beating heart of the rainforest, Amazon
Alive is a remarkable journey into a world which seems
far away, but which influences every breath we take.
Marvelling at the spectacular and bizarre wildlife and
sensing the richness and complexity of local cultures,
we appreciate how this magnificent forest plays such a
central role in the planet’s cooling system.
The Man Who Stopped the Desert
1080 Film & TV, Ltd.
An African peasant farmer has managed what so many
others failed to do: transform the lives of thousands
of people by making the desert bloom again. Discover
the untold story of Yacouba Sawadogo, an illiterate
African farmer who battled for two decades with nature
and man to become a pioneer in the fight against
desertification. Perfectly pitched cinematography
engages beautifully with a story that will leave you
moved and inspired.
Yacouba resurrected an ancient planting technique
known as ”zai,” using traditional planting pits. He
hacked into the hard-baked earth and filled the pits with
compost. In the region, tens of thousands of hectares
of land that was completely unproductive have been
made fertile again. Yacouba has reversed the process
of desertification in the deforested and drought-ridden
Sahel, a belt up to 1,000km wide, spanning Africa
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. This story is a
reminder that determined individuals can at least slow
down the steamroller of environmental destruction
across the planet.
14 forestfilmfestival.org | +307.733.70166