NEWF Community Cinema, a programme of the Nature Environment and Wildlife Conservation Trust, was launched at the KZN Film Commission in Durban on 24 January as a vehicle to screen nature, environment and wildlife content to local community film focus groups.
Noel Kok, Founder and programme director of NEWF, said the concept is to programme an inexpensive pop-up mobile cinema for local community film focus groups.
“Its purpose is to screen nature, environment and wildlife content to local community film focus groups aimed at creating an awareness of the challenges faced by the natural world and inspire a call to action to contribute African solutions to these challenges.”
He said one of the targeted outcomes of NEWF is the debunking of myths and perceptions that the preservation of the natural world is not high on the list of priorities.
“We are celebrating that we have always existed very much aligned to the natural systems and natural ways of being and advocating that the answer to our challenges lay in a return to that consciousness. We further seek to re-ignite the age-old tradition of storytelling, unlocking unique African perspectives of the natural world and encourage the use of Indigenous African Knowledge Systems as a means of finding solutions to many challenges it faces,” he said.
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NEWF Community Cinema supports the idea of “we cannot save what we cannot see.” It seeks to create a path to conservation through film by creating an affinity for the natural world and its animals. Through the power of film and its associated mediums, the project promotes a growing awareness and advances public understanding of the natural environment and its wildlife and inspire discussion to encourage conservation action to protect it.
NEWF promotes wildlife, environmental, conservation, and adventure films produced by professional, aspiring and student filmmakers while trying to inspire new filmmakers, and celebrates Africa and South Africa’s natural history heritage through the recognition and exhibition of the work of the continent’s natural history filmmakers and photographers.
“Together we inspire African filmmakers to bring life to their stories, the celebrations, binding connections and plight of our nature, environment and wildlife and ultimately distribute these stories to film festivals and broadcaster’s world over,” concluded Kok.
NEWF, and in particular NEWF Community Cinema, is actively seeking to engage with potential partners and supporters for their projects to efficiently roll out to communities. Visit www.newf.co.za, email pragna@newf.co.za or contact Pragna on 076 299 1163.
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