National Geographic Initiative Brings Environmental Films And Explorer Talks To Communities
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Aligned with National Geographic’s Earth Month Initiative “Step into Wonder”, #SparkConversation aims to harness the power of storytelling and exploration to inspire communities with a sense of wonder for our natural world.
Each screening features television episodes from National Geographic, films created through NEWF (Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers) and Africa Refocused (the Society’s collaboration with NEWF) as well as select talks with National Geographic Explorers in Africa – Africa’s groundbreaking scientists, conservationists, educators and storytellers who have received funding and support from the Society to advance their work across the continent.
These screenings will also include conversations hosted by Sunshine Cinema’s youth impact screening facilitators and focus on topics including conservation as well as the transformative power of stories.
In November, more than 75 of these Explorers working across Africa gathered in Johannesburg for the Society’s first International Explorers Festival held on the continent. Throughout the week, Explorers came together to share knowledge, spark new collaborations, and present their work - from species conservation to advancing educational access for women and girls. At the event, Explorers engaged with Sunshine Cinema facilitators on the pivotal role and real-world impact that storytelling has the potential to create.
Says Arslan Ahmad, senior manager, community engagement and strategic initiatives at the National Geographic Society: “For generations, the National Geographic Society has harnessed the power of storytelling to spark wonder and curiosity about our world, and inspire people to protect it. Through the #SparkConversation initiative, we are proud to showcase stories told from the voices and perspectives of Explorers in Africa, who are not only creatives, but scientists, conservationists, and educators redefining how the world understands and appreciates the continent’s natural spaces.
The stories featured exemplify how African excellence is being brought to the world’s stage. We’re grateful to collaborate with Disney and Sunshine Cinema to share these stories with communities where much of the work is taking place.”
Says Rochelle Knock, vice president, Disney+ and networks and country head, sub-Saharan Africa, The Walt Disney Company EMEA: “At Disney, we believe we have a role to play in using our storytelling to help make a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate. The #SparkConversation program epitomises this, using the power of National Geographic’s factual storytelling to inspire audiences to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world.”
Through Southern Africa, Sunshine Cinema’s mission is to address youth unemployment by providing young entrepreneurs with a “Sunbox” – a mobile solar cinema kit equipped with Afro-centric films and documentaries. Along with the Sunbox, the organisation offers the skills needed to become media facilitators, enabling participants to earn an income and drive social change.
Says Sydelle Willow Smith co-founder of Sunshine Cinema: “At Sunshine Cinema, we believe storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for igniting change. Through this collaboration with Disney Africa and the National Geographic Society, we’re proud to extend the reach of vital conservation and environmental narratives - while equipping young facilitators to lead dialogue in their own communities.
This initiative reflects our core mission: training youth to spark critical conversations and inspire action where it’s needed most. By combining solar-powered cinema with locally rooted engagement, we’re not just screening films - we’re building spaces for intergenerational dialogue that celebrate local stories and nurture hope”.
The collaboration between the organizations expands this month with the launch of a youth initiative in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) regions. Through this program, young people will be given the opportunity to become Film Impact Facilitators to organise community screenings and lead meaningful, structured discussions around conservation, climate change, and social justice.
The content featured in the program includes:
- Episodes from “Team Sayari”: National Geographic’s first-ever local long-form kids’ series from Africa, these episodes explore the negative impact of single-use plastics and the importance of bees in helping quell potential human-elephant territory conflict
- “Desert” from National Geographic’s Secrets of the Elephants: narrated by Explorer Paula Kahumbu, this episode reveals the secrets of Namibia’s last remaining desert elephants whose story is one of triumph in a land of extremes
- From NEWF and the Society’s Africa Refocused program:
- “Rise from the Cape Flats”: A short film about how Explorer Shamier Magmoet found peace in the beauty of the ocean just a short distance from his Cape Town community, and how it sparked his passion for underwater filmmaking and teaching young people about the ocean.
- “Eliphephile”: Through evocative spoken word and lyrical imagery, the film followsNombuso, a young woman from Sodwana Bay, South Africa, her friendships with other young locals, and her relationship with the water. As Nombuso navigates uncertainty and self-doubt, she draws strength from her community, which mirrors the ocean’s resilient spirit. The film was made by Explorers Maritza Lavín and Shamier Magmoet and , as well as NEWF Fellows Manuel Novillo, Ozair Bakht and Samira Vera-Cruz, as part of an exchange program between filmmakers from Africa, India, and the Americas.
- “Wild Hope - Rhino Ops”: In the face of the devastating rate of poaching, Hluluwe Umfolozi Park undertook their largest dehorning mission to date, aiming to dehorn over 1000 rhinos in a single operation. The film was written, directed and edited by NEWF Fellow Nathan Rice, with Explorer Ntokozo Mbuli as assistant producer on the project.
Information on the community screenings may be found at @sunshinecinema on Instagram, Cinema on Facebook, Cinema on LinkedIn, @SunshineCinema on X and @sunshine_cinema on TikTok. Fans can further stay up to date by following @natgeo_africa (Instagram), @NatGeoAfrica (Facebook, X).
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