Our Blog & News
Green Renaissance makes five films for Nedbank Green Trust 20th Anniversary
Wednesday, 24 November 2010 10:25300 South Africans from diverse worlds - corporates, NGO’s and general do-gooders - descended on the beautiful wine estate of Backsberg in Stellenbosch last night to toast the 20th Anniversary celebrations of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust.
Green Renaissance, the environmental arm of African Renaissance Productions, was proud to be asked to film five documentaries to highlight some of the successful projects and the communities and people that have been empowered. The short films showcase the catalytic and pioneering role the WWF Green Trust has played in bringing nature and people together for more than 20 years.
Behind the scenes at Abalimi Bezekhaya Christina Kaba, Field Operations Manager Abalimi
"We are really excited as environmental documentary filmmakers when asked to produce a series of short authentic films for this noble cause” says Michael Raimondo, director at Green Renaissance. Raimondo added the project was not without challenges, “the timeframe was tight – we had an editor on the road with us and filmed and edited all 5 films in three weeks”. But having just wrapped filming the crew is left feeling inspired, “these short films really showcase ordinary people who go out of their way to make things happen. What is even more impressive is that there are another 164 projects out there whose stories have not yet been captured on film” remarked Raimondo.
The documentaries covered 5 key areas in the Green Trust portfolio: The Biodiversity Wine Initiative (BWI), a sustainable agriculture model to preserve the Cape Floral Kingdom for Industry Change; Eco-school, Noqhekwana in Port St Johns, Eastern Cape for Environmental Leadership; Enkangala Grasslands Project spanning KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and The Free State for Water- the source of life; The Sokhulu Mussel Management Project, a sustainable subsistence fishery programme for the Sokhulu community living near Durban for Healthy Oceans and Abalimi Bezekhaya, an organic micro-farming project in the Cape Flats that teaches locals how to grow their own food in a cheap, sustainable manner for Empowering Communities.
Thembalina Sibiya, Subsistence Mussel Farmer Sokhulu Mussel Co-management Project
Of course it was an environmentally responsible evening – the event was held at Backsberg, Africa’s first carbon neutral wine estate, gourmet snacks were sourced from local producers and guests were treated to African style ballet dancing narrated by revered South African actor John Kani. Guests not only wore a touch of green in support but were asked to log their travel miles and will be given the opportunity to buy carbon credits to offset their carbon footprint!
Long before ‘green’ became the new black, when green was nothing more than a primary colour or perhaps the begrudged morning shot of wheat grass, Nedbank recognised the need to put corporate clout and capital behind conservation in our country. The bank embraced the environmental cause years before it gained prominence as a world view. Today, the partnership with one of the leading conservation organizations in South Africa, WWF, has helped raise over R100 million to fund more than 170 diverse conservation projects throughout South Africa since 1990.
Shooting in the great outdoors - fun times! Waverley Hills Organic Wine Estate, BWI
African Renaissance scoops SAB Environmentalist of the Year Merit Award
Thursday, 18 November 2010 12:42"The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river." - Ross Perot
The African Renaissance team have no doubt been in the river getting their hands dirty this past year and the hard work, dedication and vision of ‘Green TV Team’ is starting to bear fruit. Yesterday, at the 22nd annual SAB Environmentalist and Environmental Journalists of the Year Awards, African Renaissance Productions were honoured with a merit award in the Radio and Television Category for its series, The Nature of Change.
The caliber of contestants was high and African Renaissance Productions was delighted to be awarded alongside respected investigative environmental journalists, Joy Summers from Carte Blanche, Sandra Herrington from 50/50 and Richelle Seton-Rogers from SABC Radio News. Talk Radio 702’s John Robbie won first prize for his effective anti-rhino poaching campaign.
Michael Raimondo, Director of African Renaissance Productions, was earmarked by the judges, including Dr Ian Player, one of
Raimondo knows there ‘is no ‘i’ in team’ and commented, "We are really honored to win this award and are grateful to Cape Nature and Cape Town TV who helped make this series possible, as well as to my passionate production team." Raimondo further added that his mission is unchanged, “We hope to continue to produce content that raises awareness and alters perceptions about the environment."
Dr Ian Player with Carte Blanche's Bongani Bingwa
The Nature of Change is an eight part documentary series exploring the world we live in. Four individuals from diverse communities in the
Our world is shaped by small decisions and nominal actions, and our future, our neighbour’s future and earth’s future is determined by all of us. From breathtaking coastlines, to city streets, The Nature of Change series not only unearths the root cause of environmental issues but it offers solutions by showcasing what ordinary citizens are doing to ensure the survival of humanity.
We indeed need to be the change what we want to see in the world to ensure we continue to enjoy all of Nature’s glory.
Change was produced by African Renaissance Productions for
Visit - www.greenrenaissance.co.za for more information.
'Tis the season...to garden!
Friday, 22 October 2010 16:43
Spring has finally sprung, and after nearly three months of chicken manure sitting in the company safe, we are finally getting round to starting our long anticipated vegetable garden.
Having already sourced wooden boxes from our local dump, and lined them with thick plastic, the only thing left to do was fill them with rocks we pulled from various places, including our nearby quarry and Mike's back garden, lay the soil, and start planting.
We were amazed to see that after three months spent in the safe the worms were still alive, and surprisingly, rather robust. It might not look like much now, but in a couple of weeks, our humble vegetable garden will be supplying the entire company with fresh spinach, and plump tomatoes. We'll be posting pics on how you can start your own vegetable garden using nothing but recycled materials soon, so keep your eyes open.
In the mean time, happy gardening!
Mazda gives Green Renaissance the green light
Friday, 22 October 2010 16:13
Green Renaissance the dedicated environmental arm of African Renaissance Productions is delighted to announce that we have been commissioned to shoot three short films to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Mazda Wildlife Fund.
Since 1990, the Mazda Wildlife Fund has supported 29 non-government and non-profit organization projects, contributing towards scientific endeavours in areas such as education, conservation and research. The three films will focus on projects within the Mazda Wildlife Fund, namely the Black Rhino, the Nile Crocodile and the Eco Schools project in the Eastern Cape.
As documentary filmmakers we are excited to work with the Mazda Wildlife Fund, especially given our open brief to simply "tell authentic wildlife stories".
Warm reception at Shortcut Film Festival
Wednesday, 20 October 2010 10:25
Two short films of ours, 'Save the Rhino' and 'The Guardian', were shown at the 6th Shortcut Film Festival last night. The event, hosted at The Assembly, marked the festival's first anniversary, and the evening certainly lived up to it's "Epic" theme.
We received a great response from the audience, with loads of people coming up to us, asking how they could get more involved. If you're a closet tree hugger and would like to help nature fight back, visit WWF.
The Shortcut Film Festival is a fantastic opportunity for young filmmakers to flog their wares and showcase a variety of exciting and unique South African short films, music, entertainment and loads more local culture. To catch the next Shortcut event check out the Assembly online,
"Stop the Slaughter" campaign makes a splash
Friday, 15 October 2010 14:45
African Renaissance Productions, in conjunction with Save Japan's Dolphins, took to the streets from about 6AM this morning, hanging bloody dolphins from pedestrian bridges and street poles all over the city. No need to worry though, none of them were real!
The campaign is intended to highlight the brutal Dolphin Hunt, which takes place every year, where an estimated 23,000 dolphins, porpoises and pilot whales are murdered off the coast of Japan.
We wanted to really push the boundaries by making a highly visible protest activation that was accessible to everyday people, people walking down the Sea Point Promenade, students at the Technikon, or simply pedestrians and motorists making their way through the city. Hopefully, activations like these will get people talking, and might even put pressure on the Japanese Government to stop what they're doing.
For more information on how you can help "Stop the Slaughter", visit www.savejapando
Cleaning up South Africas dump sites in one day? Let's do it!
Tuesday, 12 October 2010 17:12So in a little corner of North-Eastern Europe called Estonia, one Spring, lilacs started blooming hand in hand with a social campaign that asked it's citizens to come together and clean up the entire country's illegal dumpsites in one day. Wow, was that even possible? Well, the campaigners weren't kidding, and so I and over 50 000 Estonians, with rented trailers and a grit determination, went and picked the country clean in one day, without knowing that they were starting a global movement in the process.
So there we were in glorious sunshine, wearing our most non-glamourous set of work clothes, helping nature fight back, at the same knowing that thousands of our countrymen were out there doing the same. Suddenly we had something in common with so many other people. Strangers became less strange, and communities were created.
There are not many things that feel better than going into nature with your friends and doing something truly useful, like cleaning up a forest. And who knew that picking up broken toys, used diapers and paintball bullets from the forest floor might play a part in inspiring whole nations to follow suit? By now the "impossible mission" of cleaning up a country in one day has been completed in 12 countries, including India and Brazil among them.
Shared experiences create nations. Estonians have known that for a long time. We're survivors, among other things, thanks to our tradition of song festivals and ability to come together to draw inspiration and love for our culture and environment from a crowd. We're sure it can be done anywhere in the world. Estonia's tiny Let's Do It campaign has now become a global movement known as Let's Do It World.
So why not add South Africa to the list?
Check out Let's Do it World's web page and like it on Facebook.
Maris, the Estonian intern
