This intimate, character-driven film portrays conservationists and activists who are fighting against all odds to stop elephant poaching in Africa’s Congo Basin region. After a study revealed that more than half the central African forest elephant population has been lost to poaching in the last decade, a concerted effort arose to save those that remain. The dynamic subjects of Silent Forests include one of Cameroon’s first female eco-guards, a grassroots wildlife law enforcement group, a Congolese biologist studying elephant behavior, a reformed elephant poacher, and a team of anti-poaching sniffer dogs led by a Czech conservationist. As passionate and tenacious as these conservationists are, they are up against huge institutional challenges that threaten to derail their mission.

 

Silent Forests

2019 US 109 min
Festival Year: 2019
Director, Producer: Mariah Wilson
Producer, Director of Photography: Zeb Smith
Types: Documentary, Feature
Topic: Conservation, Wildlife