ON ASSIGNMENT IN PERU FOR SYNCHRONICITY EARTH
SEPTEMBER 2023
ON ASSIGNMENT FOR SYNCHRONICITY EARTH IN PERU
I had an incredible time in Peru documenting the amazing work of Asociación Pro Fauna Silvestre – Ayacucho. I was there on assignment for Synchronicity Earth for the first of a series of film and photography projects that will highlight the work of some of the partner organisations that they support in Latin America and Asia.
The principal purpose for each of these trips is to create high quality media that can be used by both Synchronicity Earth and each local partner organisation to help with impact, educational and funding campaigns. In addition to this I will be helping to build capacity by having a member/s of each group intern with me so that I can help to train them in conservation film and photography.
The team of volunteers from Pro Fauna were incredibly welcoming and hard working and it was great to learn more about their work primarily around supporting environmental management, Indigenous People’s rights and livelihoods as well as scientific research in the Ayacucho region.
Keep an eye on my social media to learn more about the association and the importance of the work of Asociación Pro Fauna Silvestre – Ayacucho and Synchronicity Earth.
I spent some time recently in Rwanda researching for a project into the pros and cons of wildlife tourism in primates. The topic is a very emotive one and a subject I know well having produced and directed the investigative documentary Eyes of the Orangutan which aired recently on National Geographic. Therefore I was very curious to see how the gorilla trek and visit to the habituated group of golden monkeys compared to what I had witnessed in the orangutan wildlife tourism industry. Along the way I spoke with a range of people involved in this highly lucrative industry to try and better understand the conservation and community positives and negatives of these operations.
Editing these photos has brought back great memories of a recent trip to cover the conservation work of the Malagasy NGO GERP. I was there on assignment for Maliasili for the first in a series of photography projects that will highlight the work of some of the partner organisations that they support in Madagascar. The principal purpose for each of these trips is to create high quality media that can be used by each local partner organisation to help with impact, educational and funding campaigns.
After my trip to Peruvian Andes I moved on to Extreme Atlantic South of Brazil to document the work of Instituto Curicaca. Instituto Curicaca is a non-governmental non-profit organisation that works for the conservation of nature, the appreciation of culture and the promotion of eco-development in Brazil. Together we embarked on an epic 12 day 2500km expedition. We crossed dunes, marshes, swamps, canyons and forests to the Salto do Yucumã, in the Uruguay River in Argentina. Along the way we documented many of Instituto Curicaca's key projects including forest restoration, wildlife bridges, protected reserves, conservation of rare amphibians and their habitats and their educational work with young people from indigenous communities.
I had an incredible time in Peru documenting the amazing work of Asociación Pro Fauna Silvestre – Ayacucho. I was there on assignment for Synchronicity Earth for the first in a series of film and photography projects that will highlight the work of some of the partner organisations that they support in Latin America and Asia.
IN BREAKING NEWS!!! National Geographic is to screen our investigative documentary Eyes of the Orangutan this weekend. We will keep you updated as to which regions and times it will be screened.
Our hope is that this documentary will shed light on an industry which sees thousands of animals suffer every single day, all for our entertainment. Your decisions as tourists matter!
The film was a passion project made over 4 years and it couldn't have happened without such an incredible crew.
It was a real pleasure to be the DOP for the African portion of the German prime-time documentary “SOS Ocean (SOS Ozean): Help for an endangered habitat” for ZDF. The documentary follows the work of people around the world who are committed to protecting the oceans. In projects that sometimes start small but have a big impact.
I am very proud that my good friend Mamy Razafitsalama of Planet Madagascar has won a Whitley Fund for Nature Award! The award recognises Mamy’s work to protect forests and help biodiversity and people in communities in NW Madagascar. I have worked with Mamy on multiple film projects over the years and have seen first hand the vital work that he and the team are doing. If you would like to support Mamy’s work you can donate here.
The code of conduct for swimming with whale sharks program was launched in the Maldives by the Blue Marine Foundation last week. This whale shark code of conduct film for the Maldives was produced by a collaboration between Chris Scarffe Film & Photography, Pinky Productions, the Maldives Whale Shark Program and the Blue Marine Foundation.
These videos are part of a larger initiative that we have created together called Be Gentle To Giants, which aims to educate tourists and tour operators in best practices when interacting with marine megafauna in hotspots around the globe.
To learn more about the Be Gentle To Giants initiative and our plans to expand this model more information can be found at our website: https://www.begentletogiants.org
We had a fantastic time filming for For the Love of Sharks/Au Plus Prés des Requins which premieres tonight on France 2. For those of you that know me well you will know of my close affinity with sharks. I really hope that this documentary will help to give a different perspective of sharks and make people realise why it is so important to protect these species before they become extinct!
It was fantastic to meet so many inspiring filmmakers and see so many amazing documentaries at Jackson Wild & Wildscreen. Sadly our documentary Eyes of the Orangutan which was a finalist at both events didn't win but we lost out to two incredible winners. Many congratulations to The Territory and Warren Pereira. Many thanks again to all the organisers and volunteers who made it all happen. I'm looking forward to next year already!
