Liguria, Italy May 10, 2022— The National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) film, Kwando, was named an official selection for the 6th annual Riviera International Film Festival (RIFF) being held from May 10-15 in Sestri Levante, Liguria, Italy. The film, which will be screened on May 12 and 13, will be one of only ten documentaries screened at RIFF, an international competition dedicated to highlighting the work of directors under the age of 35 tackling social and environmental subjects.
The much-anticipated follow-up to NGOWP’s award-winning film Into the Okavango, Kwando is a Portuguese language story of a young Angolan fisherman named Elias Ngunga. Haunted by his past as a child soldier and unsure of his future, Elias joins a team of international scientists to explore one of Angola’s least scientifically understood rivers. The journey uncovers in Elias a growing interest in birds and a transcendent hope that his homeland can have a future rooted in protecting its magnificent natural wonders and unique landscape for generations to come.
Kwando serves as part of the larger conservation initiative of the NGOWP, in partnership with the Wild Bird Trust, to secure permanent protection for the greater Okavango Basin through collecting multi-year baseline scientific data, storytelling, and community engagement.
The film was nominated by Argentine actress, film producer and activist, Mia Maestro, who said:
In response to their selection, the team made the following remarks:
Kaya Ensor, Director of Kwando
Steve Boyes, National Geographic Explorer and Okavango Wilderness Project Team Leader
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Since 2015, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project has been surveying and collecting scientific data on the Okavango River system and working with local communities; NGOs; and the governments of Angola, Namibia, and Botswana to secure permanent, sustainable protection for the greater Okavango River Basin.
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