OVERVIEW: Two years in the making, “The Disenchanted Forest” is an intimate portrayal of the world of orangutans, the threats to their survival and the people committed to help them thrive. But it is even more that that, we focus on the recent discovery that orangutans do not rely on animal instinct for survival, but instead have a culture that they preserve from generation to generation. Orphaned orangutans are taken into rehabilitation to relearn from human caregivers the vital cultural skills they need to survive in the rainforest. These tenacious young apes are released and in the absence of mothers or elders they eventually learn to sustain themselves independently of human aid. CAST AND CREDITS: Director: Sarita Siegel Starring: Dr. Anne Russon and Dr. Willie Smits Narrator: Brooke Shields FILM FESTIVALS: Mill Valley International Film Festival Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival Ekotopfilm, Slovakia Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Cork International Film Festival Tahoe International Film Festival Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival Breckenridge International Film Festival San Diego Asian American Film Festival River Run Film Festival Temecula Valley Film Festival Gaia Film Festival, San Diego Sedona Film Festival Tangle River Environmental Film Festival Artivist Film Festival San Diego Asian American Film Festival Portobello Film Festival, London Reel to Real Festival, Vancouver Wildscreen, Bristol Brussels Film Festival Jackson Hole Film Festival International Wildlife Film Festival Angelciti International Film Festival
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