Filmmaker Andrew Barratt, Hungry Bison Films and Shamwari Game Reserve won two categories at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa.
South Africa (19 June 2024) – Filmmaker Andrew Barratt, Hungry Bison Films and Shamwari Game Reserve have won two categories at the annual International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFFA) for the reserve’s promotional video and a short documentary on the largest vulture relocation in Africa.
The team took the top awards for Tourism Video and Documentary, and TV & Web Programme—Wildlife Conservation, respectively.
The International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFFA), founded in 2019, honours all video content related to the tourism and travel industry. Thanks to its strong tourism industry, South Africa often features at this festival. The ITFFA aims to recognise and promote works with exceptional and innovative content and contribute to stimulating the development and growth of the national and African audiovisual industry.
Wildlife filmmaker Andrew Barratt has been a long-time collaborator with the reserve and was one of the producers of the 13-series Netflix hit, Shamwari Untamed, which follows wildlife vet, Johan Joubert, and ecologist John O’Brien around the 250km² reserve as they manage the day-to-day. There are even hints of a second series coming!
Like many local game reserves, Andrew Barratt teamed up with Shamwari head ranger Andrew Kearney during the Pandemic to start Shamwari TV. Channels like this became a lifeline for people stuck in their homes. Now, there are nearly 300 episodes with almost 40,000 people around the world tuning in.
Now, Andrew and the Shamwari team have two awards to show for their hard work. Barratt’s award-winning documentary on Africa’s largest vulture relocation tells the story of the first phase of a project to secure the future of wild vulture populations in southern Africa, with the establishment of VulPro@Shamwari.
It documents the largest relocation of vultures ever undertaken, with 160 Cape and African White-backed vultures transported 1,042km from Hartebeespoort to bespoke enclosures at Shamwari. It can be viewed below.
Barratt says while he’s grateful for the accolades and recognition of his work, awards are not why he makes wildlife films.
“For me it’s more about sharing my passion for the bush and wildlife and hopefully in the process getting more people to realise how precious these are and why it’s essential we conserve our natural heritage. I’ve been very lucky to have been able to work with Shamwari, which shares this ethos.”
You can watch all the other episodes on the YouTube channel here.
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