The African continent has been a subject of documentaries for years\u2014from projects about lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalo to the vast desert landscape. But recently, there has been a wave of projects that go beyond the \u201cBig Five\u201d animals and broad overviews of the continent\u2019s ecosystem and instead take deep dives into the diverse wildlife, landscapes and cultures of various specific countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need those clich\u00e9 [topics] to connect with the audience,\u201d says Ralf R\u00fcckauer, VP Unscripted at ZDF Studios, referring to the Big Five animals and other common subjects of previous African documentaries. \u201cOnce we\u2019ve done that, we can expand on that basic knowledge, tell them a little bit more, even [about] more obscure things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike with anything, the more that we can learn about a subject, the more specifics we want to learn about that subject,\u201d concurs Liz Levenson, distribution and acquisitions executive at GRB Media Ranch. \u201cIt\u2019s a natural evolution of storytelling about Africa just in general. As audiences become more familiar with the things that are going on on the continent, we\u2019re able to do a much more specific deep dive into the specifics that are happening and affecting people.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the \u201clast decade, or maybe even six or seven years, the proliferation of networks and outlets that can provide content for viewers to watch\u201d has helped, notes Jorge Franzini, VP of content and executive producer at Curiosity. \u201cGrowing up, if I wanted to watch wildlife shows, I maybe had two or three different networks that I could tune in to, and I\u2019d have to go in at the right hour. Today, with streaming, AVOD and FAST, there are just so many outlets out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
With all these outlets and options for viewers, \u201cit is natural [that] audiences demand specific and immersive TV experiences about the limitless diversity of our planet and people,\u201d says Nick Tanner, director of sales and co-productions at Passion Distribution.<\/p>\n
As they consume more and more content, \u201caudiences are seeking new and authentic stories that offer a deeper understanding of people, landscapes and cultures,\u201d adds Mirjam Strasser, head of sales and acquisitions at Autentic Distribution, offering up\u00a0In a Sea of Dust and Stars\u2014Hiking Mauritania<\/em>\u00a0as an example that covers all three. As a young traveler crosses Mauritania by foot, train and camel, he meets the people who live there and learns about their culture along the way, giving viewers an overview not just of the northwestern African country\u2019s various ecological zones but also the cultures spread out across the large territory and its unique inhabitants.<\/p>\n The increase in projects taking deep dives into African subjects has not just been driven by the proliferation of outlets and audience interest but also by the increasing accessibility of film creation. \u201cTo create this type of content, historically, it was extremely expensive, and not just extremely expensive but extremely isolated to a select few folks who had the resources, the training and the means because the tools were hard to come by,\u201d Franzini says. \u201cNot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStorytelling is so innately human,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt\u2019s what makes us who we are. We always do this. All of a sudden, you have kids and these generations that are [growing] up with phones in their pockets that [allow them to] take pictures at a young age and start recording. The tools become more accessible. They become cheaper, and you can start playing with them at a younger age and refining your skill set. You have all these creators that didn\u2019t exist, that didn\u2019t have the opportunity to do it, and now they\u2019re out there telling these stories.\u201d<\/p>\n With more and more Africans becoming involved in filmmaking and showing off their skills, production companies are recognizing the importance of involving locals at every stage of production, not just to ensure audiences get an authentic portrayal but also to prevent exploitative practices in areas that have historically been targeted by outsiders. With\u00a0Into the Congo with Ben Fogle<\/em>, represented by Passion Distribution, those from the region were consulted throughout the entire process.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing we did was speak to as many African fixers as possible who might have relationships with local communities,\u201d says Tayte Simpson, director of programs and executive producer at Mentorn Media, producer of the docuseries. \u201cWe wanted to hear what their concerns might be about filming and how they might be portrayed.\u201d They also helped identify places, people and stories that would give viewers an accurate reflection of life across the Republic of the Congo.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to avoid clich\u00e9 stereotypes of the region and show the real Congo,\u201d Simpson explains. \u201cWe also wanted to put the focus of the series on the Congolese people and for their voices to be heard. On an initial [visit] to the country, we met with potential contributors to talk through filming and the aims of the series. It was a chance to hear their feedback and make sure filming wouldn\u2019t have a negative impact on their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese voices and perspectives from Africa are very important,\u201d says ZDF Studios\u2019 R\u00fcckauer. \u201cThere is a lot of local knowledge that can flow into our documentaries and allow us to move away from our Euro\/Western stereotypes.\u201d<\/p>\n Curiosity\u2019s Franzini brings up\u00a0Living with Lions<\/em>, which, although it involves one of the Big Five animals, addresses the topic through the lens of the people living alongside the big cats. The authenticity of the project was achieved in part because it was directed by Tanzanian filmmaker and conservationist Erica Francis Rugabandana.<\/p>\n \u201cTraditionally, [Africans\u2019] involvement hasn\u2019t been in the storytelling aspect because they just were not given that opportunity,\u201d Franzini says. \u201cContent ends up suffering because you\u2019re not telling it through the gaze of the people that are there. I love\u00a0Living with Lions<\/em>. One of the reasons I love it is not only is it the first time that a woman from Africa was able to tell this story that\u2019s so personal, but there are other shows about life in conflict out there, and, even if I, in the preproduction process, am chatting with folks who live there and am asking them about the stories, I\u2019m not going to get how complex and multilayered those stories are.\u201d<\/p>\n Rugabandana reiterates Franzini\u2019s point and emphasizes the fact that \u201cnarratives told by African voices, especially those involving local communities, offer an insider\u2019s view that transcends external interpretations. This provides the audience with opportunities for deeper connections with the characters, the story\u2019s context and a more philosophical understanding of Africa\u2019s people and environments.\u201d<\/p>\n This wave of deep dives into various aspects of the continent is only the beginning. \u201cIn essence, Africa\u2019s wildlife and cultural heritage is rich and largely unexplored,\u201d Rugabandana says. \u201cThe Big Five represent just a fraction of the whole story. There is much more waiting to be told.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think Sir David Attenborough once said that it is not enough to just show the beauty of nature, as we have been doing on television for too many years,\u201d R\u00fcckauer says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re taking the right first steps, but they are only the first steps\u201d in involving local voices and getting these stories out there, Franzini notes.<\/p>\n And though these stories may seem extremely local on the surface, they can appeal globally because they often address topics that affect people all over the world. GRB Media Ranch\u2019s Levenson brings up\u00a0Wild Zambezi<\/em>, which in part addresses the potential mining occurring in Zambezi National Park. \u201cThat impacts climate change, [which] impacts the people and the animals that live there in these massive ways,\u201d she says. \u201cI think part of the storytelling is about the macrocosm of it. We are seeing what\u2019s happening in Zambezi National Park, but this is representative of a much bigger story that\u2019s happening all over the world. By telling these kinds of very specific stories, we\u2019re able to shed a light on the bigger stories that are happening.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Distributors and producers discuss the wave of documentaries taking deep dives into African stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":21737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,69],"tags":[849,5740,9767,8462,6091,541,2542,5672,5430,904,3479,8081,6212],"class_list":["post-21736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-autentic-distribution","tag-curiosity","tag-erica-francis-rugabandana","tag-grb-media-ranch","tag-jorge-franzini","tag-liz-levenson","tag-mentorn-media","tag-mirjam-strasser","tag-nick-tanner","tag-passion-distribution","tag-ralf-ruckauer","tag-tayte-simpson","tag-zdf-studios","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n