Carl Gierstorfer

A report on how climate change will impact the survival of mountain gorillas. Around 800 of them live in high-altitude rain forests of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Mountain gorillas are adapted to this unique habitat where they feed on more than 200 species of plants, many of them endemic to this region. It’s hard to predict how climate change will play out for the gorillas. As this report shows, conserving habitats and confronting environmental degradation not only benefits gorillas. It also is crucial to the socio-economic integrity of entire countries.

Ian Redmond, OBE, was our guide. Ian was a student of Dian Fossey’s, studying gorillas for many years, before devoting his energy to conserving their habitat. Ian chased poachers and coached hollywood actors how to grunt like gorillas for the blockbuster movie “Gorillas in the Mist.” Ian describes himself as a “naturalist.” He truly believes in conservation and goes to great length to raise awareness. Please follow him and his Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP).

This film coincided with a UN/ FAO report on how climate change will threaten the survival of wildlife species. We also shot some additional footage that was distributed at the climate change conference in Durban.

Finally, here are some behind-the-scene shots.

I was a participant of the Documentary Campus Masterschool with a project on the origin of HIV. No conspiracy theories, no polio vaccine. Just a sober look on the role of colonialism in the emergence of the pandemic. How exploitation and careless medical interventions prepared the grounds for the virus. The rest is history (and evolution in action). Please contact me for the trailer password. Thanks.

An Interview with the Nigerian biologist Iruka Okeke on science in Africa (for Köpfe& Ideen, the annual publication of the Wissenschaftskolleg – the Institute for Advanced Studies in Berlin).