Support this important social impact documentary about women’s empowerment through the power of wild nature
This is an important documentary project which highlights the value of Wilderness to human well-being. This documentary will mainly be filmed in the iMfolozi Wilderness area. This pristine wilderness is home to the largest rhino population in Africa, and was championed by the late Dr Ian Player, who saw the psychological and spiritual importance of this sacred space for humanity. The iMfolozi Wilderness is threatened by the Fuleni open cast coal mine proposed by Ibutho Coal. This film by Ronit Shapiro of One Nature Films, will highlight the importance of resisting this threat and preserving this wonderful heritage for generations to come. Project funds are being raised online through indiegogo.com. Please consider supporting this project.
Below is an extract from the project press release which can be viewed here.
‘Sisters of the Wilderness’, which starts shooting this November in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, takes a fresh and unusual look at human and Nature interconnectedness and the power of wilderness to empower young people and develop a new type of leadership.
The passion project of London based, Ronit Shapiro, Founder of One Nature Films, will tell the story of a group of young Zulu women from disadvantaged background who aspire to elevate themselves beyond challenging life conditions and become a force for good in their communities. They embark on a life-changing journey, within and without, into the wilderness of Zululand where they experience true wild Nature for the first time.
“A journey into wilderness is an intense experience where one can expect to undergo a personal transformation. It can enhance personal growth and leadership development; and it is also a soulful experience that has the capacity to heal...” says the project’s creator and producer Ronit Shapiro who experienced it herself on a wilderness trail few years ago.
The women will walk and sleep in big game country, totally surrounded by free roaming wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and lions. Exposed to the elements, and carrying on their back all they need for the journey, they will have to cope with emotional and physical challenges, and learn the practical skills of survival in the wilderness.
Women’s empowerment and leadership development; and the value of wilderness to our wellbeing are observed through the individual and collective stories of the women and their guides.
The film’s location, the iMfolozi Wilderness in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is home to one of the biggest rhino populations in Africa. “I chose this location to highlight the plight of the rhino whose numbers keep plummeting due to the illegal hunting for its highly-value horn; and the threat to this unique wilderness area and the surrounding rural communities from intensive mining. This is a place which has so much potential to enrich us but at the same time it is greatly vulnerable and threatened by man’s greed and his forces of destruction.”
For additional information about ‘Sisters of the Wilderness’ please follow this link:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sisters-of-the-wilderness-leadership#/
or contact: Ronit Shapiro, Producer - ‘Sisters of the Wilderness’ / Founder - One Nature Films
Tel: +44 (0)7971 196446
Email: ronitshapiro@btinternet.com
Skype: ronit.shapiro