An immensely moving and thought provoking documentary about a subject that I would understand not many know about, Oscar nominated, Leonardo DiCaprio produced Virunga is a must see film for not only fans of documentary films but the general public and is an incredible examination of the human spirit and those dedicated to making the world a better place. The film has attracted star power, with actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio signing on as executive producer. The disasters that specifically loom are two different groups, the M23 and SOCO International. And then I learned about the park’s very serious concerns about this illegal oil exploration, so the story U-turned really quickly.”. Metacritic Reviews. This a film festival with just documentaries. As a documentary, Virunga is interesting, eye-opening and concerning but not necessarily novel nor especially comprehensive. Virunga lays out all that in an unflinching way. In between the clashes are the animals, mainly 800 or so endangered mountain Gorillaz. Didn't take much long for them to introduce not one but two super villains - M23 and SOCO. Its a very cinematic documentary with breathtakingly beautiful scenery of nature and wildlife combined with scenes of brutal violence and sadness. We watch some films for an escape from reality. Virunga National Park in the Congo is a place of unique natural beauty. Check out Red-Barracuda's 8/10 review of "Virunga" Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Another film featured the filmmakers confronting folks who'd committed genocide decades ago and actually got them to talk about their hideous crimes. Virunga is a feat in filmmaking because it works spectacularly on various levels. NPR. All of its excitement feels so perfectly timed and formed that it comes off as orchestrated. The documentary does a great job of telling the various stories and building up suspense while showing us the beauty of the country. "Consider this: Only 880 Mountain Gorillas Remain in the World.". He made himself unpopular with the American Govt with his approach to the Soviet Union for assistance. stuff usually goes. No, stop watching that other show (again! We watch some films for entertainment. Courtesy Goldman International Prize. An upsetting and exciting documentary with marked contrasts, What I thought this would be vs an uncomfortable and tense journey through age old human greed story, Beautiful and brave film spoilt by historical inaccuracies, The sadly never ending story of corporate greed and destruction, Difficult to watch but absolutely fascinating. “Here is an example of African civil servants who are heroes, which you don’t often see,” von Einsiedel said. Rodrigue Katembo has quite a resume: child soldier, park ranger, undercover agent, friend of gorillas and elephants. It is the home to a plethora of wonderful animals and vegetation but as is so often the way, it has several serious problems that threaten it. Ruffalo attributed a renewed attention on environmental issues to people being more directly affected by severe weather in recent years. ... 'Virunga' Director Orlando von Einsiedel on Why 'Avatar' Was a Huge Inspiration ... about undercover work. Soco International News Headlines. Orlando von Einsiedel - 2014 - The vast Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is internationally renowned for its biodiversity. It has the passion and it is interesting, but it too often opts for the most sentimental choice and it comes off as utterly contrived. “In Virunga National Park, we had that process playing out on a micro level.”. Created with Sketch. I lived in DRC for five years, but mainly stuck to Kinshasa. And it also makes it indisputable that what they are doing is right for such a beautiful park. I had postponed watching this documentary several times until I finally took the time to sit down and give it a go. I am truly speechless. The same is true of exploiting the minerals in the park. Virunga does a good job of showing the grave difficulties facing conservationists in Africa. “There’s a famous phrase in Congo, that it’s the world’s richest country with the poorest people, with foreign forces taking stuff and the result being bad for Congolese people,” von Einsiedel said. External Reviews This makes it pretty difficult to follow the story, although in a way the choppy pace is nicely symbolic of the real-life turbulence and instability that characterize the Eastern Congo. View Slideshow 3 of 3. Virunga is a stunning film, part nature documentary, and part gritty exposé of the realities of life on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that has been torn apart by conflict for thirty years. Extremely well made Netflix documentary, very instructive and of course offers a lot of beautiful scenery. User Ratings The film is more than just a film about those magnificent animals. The pictures of the Park are beautiful and the those of the gorillas are captivating. The former are a violent rebel force who engages in an ongoing civil war with the Congolese government and the latter are a British energy company who specialise in oil exploration. Poachers, Parks, And Politics: 'Virunga' Is The Most Amazing Story On Netflix By Craig Hatkoff Published On 11/07/2014 It's the location of human violence, corruption and exploitation. Last year, one film was made in the midst of a revolution and the filmmakers could have easily been killed filming the democracy movement. “I saw the story as a metaphor for the rebirth of the entire region,” he said. Imperfect documentary - but please let it help save the land and animals! They are my life." the film goes on to state that Patrice Lumumba, Congo's democratically elected Prime Minister at Independence was killed by mining companies. Along with journalist Melanie Gouby, von Einsiedel's Virunga goes undercover to reveal the negligent motives of British oil company SOCO International. the rangers) even give their lives to protect this. Rodrigue Katembo has quite a resume: child soldier, park ranger, undercover agent, friend of gorillas and elephants, and now Goldman Environmental Prize winner. Financial News Articles for Sia.l updated throughout the day. This movie is gorgeously shot and wonderfully paced. War is a terrible thing when in the face of such majesty. 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