Wildlife Film News
Issue 29
November 2001
www.wildlife-film.com
News Contents:
1. Lifetime Achievement
2. Florida Wildlife Film Festival
3. Alternatives
to Release on Television
4. Hazel Wolf Call for Entries
5. Marmot Footage Needed
6. Our Island, Man
7. Manx Wildlife Images Needed
8. Londolozi Library For Sale
9. IWFF Silver Anniversary
10. Southern Star On-line
11. Author Seeks Documentary Producers
12. Festival de l'Oiseau
13. Flying Battery Advice Needed!
14. Bears Behind Bars Nominations
15. The End
1. Lifetime Achievement
The Florida Wildlife and
Western Art Exposition presents the Third Annual Florida Wildlife Film Festival
Last year was an astounding success! Over 1000 attendees viewed the work of
25 talented filmmakers. Styles and topics ranged from a troubling documentary
on mining in Africa to a 3D animation on Manatee safety.
Next year the dates are February 1, 2 & 3 in Lakeland, Florida.
Films are not restricted to Florida nature and may include Native American themes
that are primarily scenic or involve wildlife.
Length is limited to 60 minutes.
Closing date is January 4, 2002.
Entry fees are $30 for each submission. Student entry is $15.
For more information and an entry form:
Email - EarthCare@aol.com
5. Marmot Footage Needed
Jean-Marc Forclaz of Golden Pass Services in Switzerland is looking for footage of Marmots:
"On the summit of "Rochers
de Naye", 2000 m above Montreux Switzerland, we have under construction a
didactic center and park where all the marmots' species of the World will
be presented. We also operate the rack railway to the summit.
The target of the center is to present ALL THE SPECIES in detail, including
living animals of some species in very big parks like natural conditions on
the summit. We are insisting on the aspects of the education and respect of
the environment, we open next June with 7 species live on the summit, unique
in the world.
For the didactic content I am looking for films of ALL species of marmots
in the wild, and if available films of predators of marmots in action.
"
See: www.marmots.ch
Marmot species:
Asia Europe: Marmota baibacina, bobak, camtschatica, caudata,
hymalayana, marmota menzbieri, sibirica
North America: Broweri, caligata,flaviventris, monax, olympus, vancouverensis
Contact Jean-Marc Forclaz at j-m.forclaz@mob.ch
The uniqueness of the Island is commemorated in the world of natural history. There is a flower, Rhynchosinapis monensis (L.) Dandy, that is called - Isle of Man cabbage. More famously we have a breed of tail less cat which probably due to our isolation a slight abnormality has been exaggerated by in breeding, the Manx cat is known throughout the world. The cat also has disproportionately long back legs which give it, (apart from the lack of tail) its distinctive rabbit like look. Epitriptus Cowinii, the Manx robber fly has it’s home in the Ballaugh Curragh.
In the large area of willow carr known as Ballaugh Curragh, don’t be surprised if a red-necked wallaby jumps out in front of you. There is now a large growing colony of some twenty to thirty animals and they appear to be surviving and growing in number and age range. The undisturbed nature of the Ballaugh Curragh, which is a unique wet land, supports a host of species of flowers and insects.
Ballaugh Curragh is also home to a large roost for the hen harrier. During the winter months an afternoons vigil can be rewarded by catching sight of as many as sixty birds coming in to the roost. The spectacle can be seen from October through until February.
The Island’s coasts are the haunt of the a magnificent aerial acrobat, the chough. The Isle of Man is fortunate to be home to a significant proportion of the British Isles population of choughs, in particular, the Calf of Man, a small island of the southern coast of the Island has a large established winter flock and their wonderful call regularly echoes across the heather.
The peregrine known in Manks Gaelic as Shirragh y Ree (King hawk) is also regularly seen in the skies over Mann. Traditionally the Island gave a pair of peregrines to the new monarch, but this practice ceased after the coronation of George IV. The raucous raven can often be heard and seen territorially ‘dogfighting’ with the peregrine in the skies over the heather moorland that forms the central part of the Island.
There are some common animals that are present on mainland Britain that do not occur on the Island, these include, deer, moles, badgers, snakes, squirrels, otters, toads and jays. But the Island more than makes up for these omissions with the wealth of natural history to be found there.
THE LONDOLOZI PRODUCTIONS LIBRARY
(An African natural history film library - 20 years in the making)
Investment Summary
This offer includes the following commercial opportunities:
The Opportunity
A world-renowned Africa wildlife imagery library, representing a lifetime’s work, is for sale to an investor with the vision to exploit its true potential!
Filming in prime wildlife locations across Africa, John Varty and his team, have captured on Super 16mm film, the most comprehensive and unique African natural history images in the world. Londolozi Productions is synonymous with high-action African wildlife drama. Predator sequences featuring lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and crocodile, are the hallmarks of the Londolozi Library. Included are unparalleled behavioral sequences featuring most of Africa’s fascinating mammal species and many of its reptile and bird species. Though chiefly an African library, it does contain footage of various species on other continents, including a range of Amazonian species, with dramatic jaguar sequences at the apex.
Perhaps the library’s rarest asset is the comprehensive footage of the African leopard. The lives of no less than 25 wild African leopards have been intimately chronicled. John Varty has spent, perhaps, more time than anyone alive today living close to these spectacular and elusive African cats.
An added dimension to this library is the imagery recorded during the raising and release of numerous predator orphans, from infancy to adulthood, capturing in the process unrivalled sequences, intimately recording the nature and behaviour and lives of most of the big cats: lion, leopard, cheetah and tiger.
The Londolozi Productions library is, unquestionably, a comprehensive natural history/wildlife archive, however, it encompasses more: a native perspective of African tribes and cultures. John Varty's long-standing relationship with Masai and Shangaan tribesman, provided him with privileged access to rarely seen ceremonies, rituals, traditions and superstitions and the warriors, healers, prophets, trackers and poachers which embellish African culture. This unique access has allowed John Varty and his team to closely record the daily challenges of human co-existence in Africa’s remote wilderness areas: the naked truth of slaughter and annihilation, poaching, culling and deforestation; the high drama of game capture; the politics of conservation; and more, are all contained within this library.
The Londolozi Productions archive currently comprises 3.5 million feet of Super 16mm negative, the majority of which is also accessible in Digital Betacam format, and 52 hours of multiple award winning documentary programming, most of which is in various phases of international broadcast distribution. The future revenues and rights from this broadcast distribution are included in this offering.
The following new programming is in production and all future revenues and rights thereto are included in this investment opportunity:
John Varty now has a vision to create a sanctuary in Africa wherein wild-born tigers can survive freely for the ultimate re-introduction into restored wild areas in Asia. In the process, large tracts of land, ecologically and economically bankrupted, by indiscriminate agriculture are being restored to their former bio-diversity under wildlife.
This fascinating project has been, and will continue to be, captured on film with the objective of creating an unrivalled multi-media event incorporating multi-faceted broadcast, live internet feeds, publishing, merchandizing, etc.
To date, Londolozi Productions’ film crews have captured, on Super 16mm film and DVCam, 150 hours of what is, unquestionably, the most extensive close contact tiger footage ever filmed.
This project is the culmination of a lifetime of work in conservation and wildlife filmmaking and is the motivation behind the decision to make this project his core focus for the foreseeable future. Hence the cessation and disposal of all other filming activities and the film library.
If this opportunity ignites your interest, and if you have the vision and capacity to develop the full potential of this unique and untapped resource, we look forward to exploratory discussions with you.
Oloff Bergh
Londolozi Productions (Pty) Ltd
Telephone: + 27 11 784 9375
E-mail: oloff@global.co.za
Programming can be searched by categories including genre, year of production, duration and key cast.
"We’ve developed the site to be of maximum use to buyers. Having just met our sales team at MIPCOM, buyers can now fine tune their areas of interest from their own computer screens," Southern Star Sales Chief Executive Cathy Payne said.
The site also features news on recent acquisitions and upcoming releases, sales and product news as well as profiles on selected titles. Links to dedicated title sites are also featured.
"Visitors to the site can also get a run down of all Southern Star operations in Australia and Britain - from production, to sales and our duplication facility. They can also learn more about our key personnel and email them direct from the website," Ms Payne said.
