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Bullfrog Films
P.O. Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
Tel: 610/779-8226
Fax: 610/370-1978
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The Disenchanted Forest
Endangered orphan orangutans are rehabilitated and returned to their rainforest home.
52 minutes
DVD-R version available
Color / Stereo
Grade Level: 7-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2002
Copyright Date: 2001
ISBN (VHS): 1-56029-918-5
ISBN (DVD): 1-59458-350-1
Directed by Sarita Siegel
Produced by Alchemy Films
Narrated by Brooke Shields
Photographed by Taggart Siegel
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"Poignant without sentimentality...making us think hard about the meanings and values of culture and nature." Prof. Lorraine Daston, Director, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
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Deep in the Bornean rainforest Dr. Anne Russon, primate psychologist, is broaching new territory in the quest to understand orangutan intelligence and psychology. Orangutans, like humans, have "culture." They do not rely solely on animal instinct for survival. Instead a rich and complex society of elders and peers provides the young with critical knowledge that is necessary for their survival in the rainforest. The destruction of orangutan habitat and the illegal pet-trade threaten the lives of orangutans. When they are taken out of their habitat or when it is destroyed, their culture is disabled.
Dr. Willie Smits, who directs the Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Project, and his team rescue hundreds of orangutans. Dr. Smits is committed to preserving orangutan habitat and returning captives back into rainforest homes.
At Wanariset the orphans learn the vital skills they need to survive. When they are old and skilled enough, orangutan ex-captives are released into protected rainforest. Without mothers and more knowledgeable elders, strange 'Lord of the Flies' communities evolve in the forest. Eventually the orangutans learn to sustain themselves independently of human aid.
With the impending extinction of these great apes, opportunities to observe and interact with free-roaming orangutans are displaced every day as the rainforest diminishes and the pet-trade flourishes. The rare dedication of a few scientists, however, brings hope to large numbers of captive orangutans who live between two worlds.
The DVD version of this program is recorded on DVD-R which is not compatible with some older DVD players. See the new DVD page for more details.
Awards:
Merit Awards, International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula
Finalist, Best Newcomer Award, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film & Video Festival
Commendation, The Genesis Awards
Best Cinematograhy, Brussels Film Festival
2nd Place, EarthVision Environmental Film and Video Competition
Mill Valley International Film Festival
Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival
Ekotopfilm, Slovakia
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Cork International Film Festival
Tahoe International Film Festival
Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
Breckenridge International Film Festival
San Diego Asian American Film Festival
River Run Film Festival
Temecula Valley Film Festival
Gaia Film Festival, San Diego
Sedona Film Festival
Tangle River Environmental Film Festival
Artivist Film Festival
EcoVision Festival, Palermo
Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth
Reviews:
"Sarita Siegel's powerful film The Disenchanted Forest documents attempts to return young orangutans to their original rainforest habitats in Indonesia. It is poignant without sentimentality, unblinking about the destruction of the rainforests and their inhabitants but hopeful about the small successes of the orangutan rehabilitation centers. Working closely with the staff of the centers, she shows how fluid the boundary between wild and domestic, human and animal can be in the case of orphaned orangutans, who must be reacculturated to rainforest life. Her film underscores the urgency of conservation efforts, while at the same time making us think hard about the meanings and values of culture and nature." Prof. Lorraine Daston, Director, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
"This is a stunning video with beautiful photography and a haunting presentation...It is suitable for all academic libraries, school libraries, environmental studies programs, classroom instruction, animal rights groups, and for anyone interested in saving species and the environment. Highly Recommended." Gloria Maxwell, Educational Media Reviews Online
"Enchanting as well as startling...Dr. Carel van Schaik, primatologist and anthropologist at Duke University...tells us that understanding the conditions that favored the evolution of culture is probably one of the most important questions in human evolution. Orangutans are disappearing fast and there is still an enormous amount to learn from them. This film is recommended to all those interested in orangutans and efforts being undertaken to save them. Its unique footage will fascinate all those interested in orangutan behavior. With superb photography and fascinating narration it is sure to become a classic." Cheryl D. Knott, orangutan expert, and Asst. Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University
"An informative, lovely, and often moving film that shows conclusively that orangutans are not "born to be wild" but must learn to be wild...The Disenchanted Forested is a beautiful, inspiring, saddening, and eye-opening piece of work. Suitable for a public audience, upper-level high school classes, or college courses in cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, primatology, anthropology of development, or ecological anthropology." David Eller, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Anthropology Review Database
Related Subjects:
Animal Behavior/Communication
Animal Rights
Animals
Anthropology
Asian Studies
Ecology
Endangered Species
Environment
Environmental Ethics
Ethics
Habitat
Rainforests
Related Links:
www.alchemyfilms.com The producers' web site
www.orangutan.com The Balikpapan Orangutan Society web site
www.wildaid.org WildAid web site
www.orangutansonline.com Orangutans Online web site
Related Titles:
Baboon Tales: Dr. Shirley Strum's new interpretation of baboon society.
Wildlife for Sale: Eastern and Western attitudes towards animals lead to disastrous wildlife trade.
Koalas
Blowpipes and Bulldozers: The story of the Penan, a tribe of rainforest nomads in Borneo, as seen by Bruno Manser.
Natural Connections: Makes a compelling scientific and ethical case for maintaining biodiversity.
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