Simone is the last Greater Bamboo Lemur in Ranomafana, a protected rainforest in south-east Madagascar.
After a happy start in life, surrounded by family, Simone finds herself alone, as members of her family disappear one by one.
Three years on, and she’s still alone – a social animal, a primate, just like us; how has this isolation affected her mental state?
Through primatologist Dr. Patricia Wright and researcher, Alba Schielen, we witness Simone’s desperate bid for companionship, as she takes a bold step for survival.
At last Simone is happy again, but is all as harmonious as it seems?
Witness the incredible story of the WRCNU (Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah) and their fight to continue saving Utah’s wildlife after suddenly losing their building for the ironic expansion of Ogden’s dinosaur park. We follow the founder, DaLyn Marthaler, as she navigates the 6 month deadline Ogden City gave them to leave their building and find a new one, all without any financial support from the government. They take in 4,000 animals a year, so that is 4,000 dead animals if they don’t make it work by the time their building is demolished.
“Tales of the Páramo” tells the story of Aika, a magical creature born in the heart of the páramo, a mysterious ecosystem in the Colombian Andes. Gifted with the unique ability to communicate with plants, Aika embarks on an exciting adventure to find the Macarenia clavigera, a legendary plant with changing colors that holds ancient secrets. Throughout her journey, she faces unexpected challenges that push her to the limits of her abilities.
Her journey not only unveils the hidden wonders of this unique ecosystem but also highlights the profound connection between nature and humans, inviting reflection on biodiversity, environmental conservation, and the need to live in harmony with our surroundings.
In the heart of Lilongwe, Malawi, Lessons in Conservation (LIC) is sparking a love for the wild in the next generation. This short film follows LIC’s unique approach to education, where young people are immersed in nature through boat safaris, game drives, and interactive lessons that transform the wilderness into a living classroom. These experiences introduce students to the beauty of their natural heritage while equipping them with the knowledge and motivation to protect it. Through Black Bean Productions’ lens, the story unfolds as a hopeful portrait of how education can inspire conservation. More than a film, it is a celebration of community, youth empowerment, and the vital connection between people and the planet they call home.
Leave a Legacy, a film by Black Bean Productions, tells the story of the Chem Chem Association’s mission to restore Tanzania’s Kwakuchinja Corridor. Once devastated by logging, poaching, and overgrazing, the land had lost its vital wildlife migratory routes, sparking conflict between people and animals. Over fifteen years, founders Fabia and Nicolas, together with local communities and partners, have worked to protect wildlife while empowering people. The film offers a hopeful portrait of resilience, coexistence, and the transformative power of conservation.
In New York’s Metropolitan Capital, a diverse consortium of experts revives a globally rare ecosystem through a habitat management regime informed by scientific discovery and inspired by Native American fire stewardship. Conservation and film teams unite to uncover indigenous voices, illuminating the historical legacy of fire stewardship that defines the landscape. Together, they weave a narrative celebrating their ongoing preservation successes and honoring the deep Indigenous connection shaping the rich history of this unique landscape.
In ‘Looking Up,’ the camera turns its lens on three individuals whose lives intersect through a shared love for birdwatching. As the story unfolds, each character opens up about their personal battles with mental health, navigating the turbulent waters of burnout, depression, anxiety, and trauma. This short film doesn’t sugarcoat life’s challenges, but it gently reminds us that sometimes, the simple act of reconnecting with nature—watching birds, in this case—can be a powerful remedy. ‘Looking Up’ is a down-to-earth exploration of personal struggles, resilience, and the unexpected healing that can come from a pair of binoculars and a bit of fresh air.
West of Chandpur, where Bangladesh’s earth narrows to a spearpoint, rests Molehead. A defiant triangle of silt and spirit, it meets the sacred confluence of three river-giants—Padma, Meghna, Dakatia—whose currents descend from Himalayan snows to embrace the sea. Its name, Molehead, whispers of stone ramparts raised against the river’s rage: a bulwark between land and the hungry tides.
Here, the soul of the subcontinent pours itself into this living estuary—a torrent of stories older than memory. The world’s second-largest gathering of freshwater, bearing mountains to ocean, carving channels through human dreams. For epochs untold, this water-land has cradled a fragile covenant: where mangroves grip mud like ancient hands, where fish still dance in vanishing currents, where people plant rice in soil salted by storms.
The biologist Hermes Juez carries out an expedition to the Galilea Forest, a historic place near Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, where in 1955 the peasant families that the government bombed excessively for months were sheltered. There he manages to document the great biodiversity guided by Don Henry who will take him to see the churuco monkeys that are in critical danger of extinction. During the expedition the news is heard: a soldier kills a spectacled bear in the Galilee forest. Now the mission is to perform a necropsy on the corpse, bury the bear and prevent it from happening again.
313 is a two minute micro-short inspired by one of many David Attenborough’s quotes, exploring the relevance and legacy of animals on our planet. Decades or centuries down the line when generations past and when and time rewrites itself, will our wild neighbors become victims of vague assumptions, a distant memory, or simply forgotten?
The PSA themed film follows three generations representing three categories of people and their experiences with a subject matter; having seen them in flesh and blood, through documented media and via pop-culture. The story telling structure is layered by color, character, composition, sound, motif and cinema references to decipher. The makers picked a species and imagined a world without them.
