STROOP - Journey into the Rhino Horn War, the locally made documentary film, has been awarded the 2018 Green Tenacity Award by the judges of the Eighth Annual San Francisco Green Film Festival. This comes ahead of the film's world premiere at the festival which will run from Thursday September 6 through to Friday, September 14.
What makes the win and the premiere all the more impressive is the fact that the festival organisers received 350 submissions but ultimately only 26 films were selected to screen and, of those, only five have received awards.
Says a delighted Bonné de Bod, who produces and fronts the film: "We are over the moon at receiving this prestigious award and it makes all our hard work and dedication to this film that much more worthwhile."
"Hopefully, it also means that the recognition will create additional awareness and encourage even more people to see the film when it releases."
According to the festival's criteria, the Green Tenacity Award is given to filmmakers "who show great tenacity in exploring crucial environmental issues in their work."
STROOP - Journey into the Rhino Horn War tells the shocking and touching story of the ongoing poaching of the rhinoceros and the trade in its coveted horn. Four years in the making, this labour of love saw Bonne de Bod and director Susan Scott sell their houses, leave their jobs and move in with their mothers in order to document what is happening in the fight to save the rhino from extinction. Initially setting out on a six-month project it became a dangerous and intense expedition for which the passionate duo often found themselves in immense danger. In an exclusive first, de Bod and Scott filmed special ranger units inside the world famous Kruger National Park and at the home of the white rhino, the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park and travelled undercover to the dangerous back rooms of wildlife traffickers and dealers in China and Vietnam. The result is a hard-hitting - and ultimately moving - documentary that challenges and shocks viewers.
Through unprecedented footage, Scott and de Bod have created a stunning, independent film - made with crowdfunding and grants - that shows why this hunted and targeted species deserves to live in dignity, free from exploitation by illegal traders, poachers, money men and corrupt governments.
STROOP - Journey into the Rhino Horn War will premiere in South Africa in February 2019 after its film festival run overseas.
About the San Francisco Green Film Festival Launched in 2011, the San Francisco Green Film Festival is the US West Coast's leading event for films and discussions about people and the planet. SF Green Film Festival is dedicated to screening compelling environmental films; connecting audiences to filmmakers and experts; and sparking green ideas and actions. Their signature programme is the annual Green Film Fest and they also screen films and support filmmakers throughout the year. Green Film Fest 2018, from September 6-14, is an official Affiliate Event of the the Global Climate Action Summit, bringing leaders from around the world to San Francisco to support the Paris Climate Agreement. At this year's event they will have a vibrant line up of 26 new, international films connecting a passionate audience with top documentary filmmakers, environmental experts and campaigners.
Bonné de Bod - Producer and Presenter Bonné de Bod is well known as an award-winning wildlife television presenter. She was on South Africa’s popular wildlife and environment programme 50|50 for seven seasons and is also a special correspondent for SABC's Newsroom. In addition, her series Rhino Blog is on DSTV's People's Weather channel where it is currently ranked the most popular show. Winner of an ATKV Mediaveertjie, de Bod has also been awarded the prestigious Kudu Award for Best Journalist, which she won in recognition of her passionate, balanced reporting on wildlife conservation issues as well as keeping the public updated and informed about environmental issues in South Africa. Her in-depth knowledge on the rhino poaching crisis from four years filming on the ground and doing undercover work in Asia has led to de Bod facilitating discussions on illegal wildlife trafficking for the United Nations Environmental Programme as well as talks on radio, at film festivals and wildlife symposiums.
Susan Scott - Director Susan Scott is a filmmaker in Johannesburg, South Africa where she produces stories on wildlife issues for various broadcasters around the world. Prior to her directing work, she was a film editor for 17 years cutting for some of the best wildlife filmmakers. Susan studied in the US, graduating from Baylor University with a degree in Telecommunications. She won an editing apprenticeship in Washington DC with Tony Black A.C.E. where she went on to edit with him for several years before heading back home to South Africa. Awarded the prestigious acronym from the editors guild of South Africa, Scott has gone on to win several awards for her work, among them three SAFTAs, a Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Award as well as winning at the SAB Environmentalist of the Year for her writing and photography. STROOP - Journey into the Rhino Horn War is Scott's first documentary feature film.