The film of Olga Michi and Vadim Vitovtsev in defense of the African tribe won the festival in Germany

LUDWIGSBURG. The Russian film about the Pygmy tribe won in one of the nominations of the Natur Vision festival.

The Natur Vision Festival, in which documentaries on the environment take part, has been held in Germany since 2002. Its history began in the alpine village of Neuschonau, located next to the Bavarian Forest National Park. For 10 years, the festival has been one of the hallmarks of these places along with a fabulous trail laid in the treetops. In 2012 Natur Vision moved to Ludwigsburg (Baden-Württemberg), known for Europe’s largest baroque palace complex.

This year the festival was held from July 13 to 16. In one of 13 nominations - Best Story Award - the film was directed by Vadim Vitovtsev and producer Olga Michi “In the Shadow of Big Trees” (Small People. Big Trees) about Baak’s Pygmies. Humanity may be missing the smallest people on the planet in the near future. Like many other tribes in Africa, South America, Asia, Australia. For this reason, Michi, a professional travel photographer, prefers extreme travel across continents to lazy wanderings among monuments and ancient buildings. Many tribes are irrevocably “departing nature”, the tragedy of which must be discussed before it is too late.

The greatness of the "Black Continent" eliminates natural fears and prejudices. Michi carefully prepares for trips, thinking over little things, not ignoring risks and dangers, not forgetting about the rules and customs. Sincere interest, intuition and goodwill help her to find contact with the local population, to avoid unforgivable mistakes. The main goal of the painting by Vadim Vitovtsev and Olga Michi is to reach out to those who are able to influence the end of interfaith conflicts in the Central African Republic and prevent a chain of catastrophic interventions in the affairs of nature. Poaching and deforestation in Central Africa has reduced the stock of forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) by more than 60 percent. This situation entails a negative outlook for the survival of the nomadic Baak pygmy tribe.

The linguist-ethnographer Louis Sarno, who passed away on April 1, 2017, provided invaluable assistance in the work of the film crew. Sarno not only studied all aspects of the life of an amazing tribe for three decades. These people became his family. Therefore, he did not stop ringing the bells, worrying about their fate, until the last day of his life. “In the shadow of large trees” is a peculiar tribute to the memory of this wonderful person.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru