7. FIFI Call for Entries 

FIFI 2001, The fourth biannual of  the International Film Festival about Insects (and other small animals) will take place in Narbonne (France) from 17 till 21 October 2001 on the occasion of the National Science Holiday,.

The FIFI is organised by “l'Office Pour les Insectes et leur Environnement du Languedoc-Roussillon” (OPIE LR), the project of the Regional Natural Park of Narbonnaise in Mediterranean and by the town hall of Narbonne. The FIFI is released in partnership with the Institute for Research and Development ( IRD) , the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the National  Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA), the City of Sciences and Industry (Paris) and the National Museum of Natural History (Paris) and the Agronomic University of Gembloux (Belgium).

The FIFI's objective is to present, a forum of diverse expositions related to insects and other continental invertebrates at the same time as a film and video presentation on the same topic.

The objectives are :

-          To make the media, politicians and the public sensitive to the ecological importance of continental invertebrates and of the necessity to respect the environment.

-          To allow meetings and exchanges through forums and exhibitions.

-          To encourage and promote the making of films or videos dedicated to insects and biodiversity.

For the fourth edition, the films will be presented in competition before a jury of ten specialists, presided by M. Yves Gonseth, President of the expert group of the Bern Convention (European Council).

For further information contact: Rémi PINAULT festival.fifi@wanadoo.fr

Mark and Victoria and their two young sons, Freddy (now 8) and Jacca (6), spent two years camping in the Kenyan bush to observe the fascinating and dangerous wildlife in and around a freshwater spring. The result is this astonishing film which reveals how one animal – the hippopotamus – has become the central figure in a complex and often brutal web of life.

"Our sons have spent more time in the bush than they have in England," says Mark. "They live in t-shirts and shorts and hardly ever wear shoes. They have really been taught by themselves and their friends are the animals that hang around the camp like the monkeys – we’ve even had a pet bustard!

Camping beside the Mzima Spring in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, the world-renowned husband and wife team used state-of-the-art equipment to get closer to these giant mammals than anyone ever before. As the hippos got used to the cameras some incredible stories were revealed.

"After about six months the hippos came to know the camera and accepted it as part of their school, explains Mark. "They would come up and rest their heads on it and the baby hippos would teethe on the lens! It really became part of their family, which allowed us to get incredibly rare and unique footage.

"For the first time on film we see how hippos open their mouths for fish to clean inside – a true act of trust! And we were really humbled to witness hippo infanticide – an incredibly rare sight which has only been recorded a handful of times in the past 50 years."

The Mzima Spring teems with creatures, many of which have interwoven relationships and all of whom owe their very existence to the hippo. Mzima: Haunt of the River Horse reveals the amazing relationships between these animals and shows how they form a pyramid of life that keeps the spring alive.

But as the film’s shocking climax shows, life in the Mzima spring isn’t always harmonious. Freshwater crocodiles are at the top of the food pyramid and are always on hand to snap up fish and even new-born hippos. And hippos themselves can be capable of acts of astonishing brutality.

"We wanted to establish a sense of this Eden where everything is in tune with each other but which does have a very dark side too," explains Mark. "We didn’t have any preconceptions and we were incredibly privileged to witness some unique sights that we could never have possibly predicted".

BOYS IN THE BUSH

Making wildlife documentaries doesn’t just involve flying out to a destination and filming animals for a few weeks. For acclaimed film-makers Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone, it means packing up all their belongings, including their two young sons Freddy and Jacca, leaving the comfort of their Cornish home and setting up a camp in the middle of the African bush for two years.

"Our way of working means that we don’t tend to research the subject too much beforehand," explains Mark. "We like to go into an area, let the wildlife get completely used to us and the equipment and then see what stories evolve over a long period of time".

"Our sons make the transition between the two lifestyles very well but almost pine for bush life when they’re back in England. They do spend most of their time in Africa barefoot so it’s very strange to see them going off to school in Cornwall in their little blazers and ties," he laughs.

Mark and Victoria met at a diving classes in 1981 and have worked together as underwater wildlife photographers ever since. Their early work was spotted by renowned Survival filmmaker Alan Root who was so impressed he invited them to work with him in the Serengeti in Africa and so began a long love affair with the area. They were married beside an African river in 1992 and their first son was born later in that year.

"We love the lifestyle in Africa," says Mark. "Although we miss our home comforts we do tend to make our camps fairly comfortable. Having said that it’s nice to be at home and not worry about an elephant flattening your camp or a lion killing something outside your front door!

"It’s a great lifestyle but it can be quite hard."

It was a film made by Mark and Victoria’s mentor Alan Root almost 30 years ago that drew their attention to the complex ecosystem at the Mzima Spring.

The plight of Russia’s giant brown bears as they face increasing threat from unscrupulous poachers is exposed in Survival: Bears of the Russian Front (UK tx ITV, Sunday August 5).

Remote Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East is home to a unique population of brown bears. The seven-month winters and the icy environment throw up enough challenges for these majestic giants but they face a far greater threat to their physical well-being - as ruthless poachers threaten to shatter their icy idyll.

Scientist Bill Leacock, who has devoted himself to studying Kamchatka’s bears for several years, explains:

"Since the near collapse of the Russian economy, people in Kamchatka are being forced to rely on illicit means to eke out a living. Salmon poaching is becoming increasingly rife, even in protected areas and the poaching of bears, for their gall bladders, and salmon has become a serious threat."

Bear hunting is also legal outside Kamchatka’s wildlife reserves and 1,000 bears are shot each year by hunting parties, often comprising rich Americans, who are looking for big bears for trophies.

Richard Kemp’s stunning photography captures the bears as they adapt to their ever-changing environment. With astonishing intimacy the film shows mothers emerging with their cubs, young bears courting and learning to catch salmon and large males looking to kill off cubs for an opportunity to mate with their mothers.

"Many people think of bears as solitary creatures and if they do meet they fight," says Bill Leacock. "From our observations we’ve found that it’s quite the reverse – in many cases they are outright affectionate.

"We’ve become very attached to these bears but we never forget they’re wild animals," he says. "They’re not the Winnie-the-Poohs that some people portray them to be but I don’t believe they’re man-eating killers either. They’re just trying to get on with their lives and we should treat them with respect.

For the bears of Kamchatka, feasting on salmon during the summer is vital to build up fat reserves for the harsh winter months.

"Increasingly we’re wondering if the bears we’re following are going to survive," warns Bill. "If the salmon poaching continues, they probably won’t."

Film-maker Richard Kemp Bears All

Wildlife film-maker Richard Kemp has some very good advice should you ever find yourself filming giant brown bears. Don’t look them in the eye and never travel without bear spray!

The cameraman, who spent 14 months filming brown bears in Russia’s bleak Kamchatka peninsula, explains:

"Bears are wonderful things and if you don’t press them too hard or push them into a corner they’re fine. If you look them in the eye or use aggressive body language that’s when you’re pushing them to the limit.

"They’re basically very frightened and run like mad if you get anywhere near them. And if they smell you they’re off! They have very sensitive noses."

But if one does venture a little too close then that’s when you should whip out the bear spray:

"Bear spray is made from red pepper and resin," explains Richard. It’s absolutely terrible stuff and if it gets in your eyes you won’t forget in a hurry. You should only use this if a bear is very close to you. A bear won’t usually charge you from a large distance. It will come over and look and it might just run for that last little bit. It’s just before that point that you should take action!"

Richard only had to use the bear spray once, when an inquisitive young male became a little bit too nosy for comfort.

"We were filming from behind a bush as a young courting couple were play-fighting on the Tundra," recalls Richard. "The young male became inquisitive and started to come straight towards the bush and soon there was only about 5 metres between us.

"If we’d have backed off he would have trashed my camera so we thought the best thing to do was to stand up very gently and talk to him which should have made him run away. But the distance had closed so much by then that he was feeling threatened. Our guide shouted at me to use the bear spray but I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to ruin the camera. Eventually I gave him a squirt and he started running off. But that was just to warn him what would happen if he came close to humans in that situation again."

So how did they get such amazing footage with the bears being so easily scared or inquisitive around humans?

"To get close to the mother and her cubs was very special," admits Richard. "She must have been aware of our presence but we just put a white sheet in front of us with some sticks, popped the lens through a hole and waited for her to come out.

"It makes it easier for them if they don’t see movements. They are aware of a human presence in the area, but they have two alternatives. They can take the cubs and run away, in which case there is a danger of them being picked up by a threatening male, or they can gradually get used to you.

"I learnt a lot from Bill because he had worked with them for so long he knew how close you could get to them without causing them any trouble. If you sit quietly, they know you’re there and they will tolerate you on their terms.

"If a mother and her cubs come to a particular stream to fish everyday she might come close to you and that’s her business and her choice. But if her cub suddenly walks behind you and squeaks because its frightened the mother might tear through you to protect her cub. That was one of the biggest dangers we felt. We were standing on a little island and the bears were going either side of us to fish. If you’d reached out your arm you could have touched them as they went by."

A particularly worrying occasion for Richard was when he was filming alone in a tiny tower above a bear carcass. He recalls:

"We erected a small steel tower above the carcass with canvas over the top to protect me. After a couple of days of nothing happening, I decided I would spend 3 or 4 days in the hide and not move out of it. It was only about 4 foot square so to sleep I just had to stick my legs out of the side of it.

"After the second night a bear came in on the carcass and was very aggressive to anything else that came near it. As it got dark there was nothing more to do so I went to sleep. At about 1.30am I woke to hear this terrific huffing and puffing and crunching of snow. I realised that the bear was very close to me and I was worried that he might come under the tower and start shaking it. I was completely on my own in the middle of the Tundra with no-one for miles around and no skidoo or anything. I just had to sit through the rest of the night with the fella puffing and scratching underneath me. I think he was just chasing wolves off the carcass but he certainly gave me a couple of hours or excruciating anxiety!"

So with the Russian winter lasting for seven months, how did Richard and his team cope with the sub-zero conditions?

"When we were in the bush we stayed in hunter’s huts or research huts," says Richard. "Sometimes we slept in tents and in hides and I even built an igloo to film eagles in the snow - which was very cold – about minus 30°c.

"I enjoy being out in the bush and I thrive under those conditions but when the going gets really tough it’s not good. Once we were in a very small hunter’s hut waiting for bears to arrive and it just started to rain and rain and rain.

The helicopter couldn’t come back to collect us and we were sleeping in the eves of the attic with no hot water and very little food. It wasn’t pleasant but that’s all part of being in the bush isn’t it?"

For Norwich-based Richard Kemp, wildlife film-making is a family affair. He and his wife Julia are renowned as one of the world's leading husband-and-wife wildlife film teams and their 21-year-old son Malcolm also joined them for part of their Russian adventure.

"Malcolm said it was the most exciting thing he’d ever done," says Richard. "He’d done a lot of travelling in South America in his gap year but he found getting close to bears a very neck-tingling sensation. He was very nervous to begin with, which is very natural because they are huge animals.

"We had an incident when we were filming bears coming to the beach to fish and had inadvertently set up our camouflage net right in the bears’ route. There was one huge bear with a scar who turned to look at the camera and took about three steps towards us. He stopped very close to us and was looking very intently towards a rival and I thought how nice it would be if he turned towards me. I made a noise and saw it register in his eye and he turned very, very slowly to look at me. He started walking towards us and the reaction from everybody was to step back. But he didn’t want trouble anymore than we did and he just turned around and walked away. That was probably Malcolm’s most exciting experience!"

So after the sub-zero temperatures and heart-stopping animal encounters of Russia, what’s next for Richard?

"My next project is filming wildlife artists in the Pyrennes. That should be completely different," he laughs.