Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival

Before capturing the hearts of audiences around the world and only two days before this Oscar- and BAFTA -nominated films’ première, Virunga Park Warden Emmanuel de Merode was shot by unidentified gunmen. He had just delivered damning evidence that suggested the World Heritage Site was in grave danger. De Merode was one of dozens of park employees risking their lives in the unstable DRC region of Rumangabo, protecting the land so essential for locals, and home to the world’s last mountain gorillas. Threats abound as the Congo’s fragile peace crumbles, bringing rebel armies into the park, while mining company SOCO International engages in efforts to get their hands on the oil beneath. These courageous stories combine in a compulsive eco-thriller, a last stand in the battle to preserve not only Virunga, but nature for all our futures.