Movienight: When lambs become lions

The plummeting elephant population in Africa has captured the attention of the world. And as the government cracks down, the poachers face their own existential crisis. For them, conservationists are not only winning their campaign to value elephant life over its ivory, but over human life as well. Who are these hunters who will risk death, arrestand the moral outrage of the world to provide for their families?

Director Jon Kasbe followed the film’s subjects over a three year period, gaining an extraordinary level of access and trust as he became part of their everyday lives. The result is a rare and visually arresting look through the perspectives and motives of the people at the epicenter of the conservation divide.

Moderator & movienight host Jan Raes: “The reason for programming this movie is that the movie about an ivory trader is one of the tips that I received from the director of Silas, Anjali Nayar. It is a movie that takes the perspective of the ivory dealer. It is not the usual suspect as a main character of a documenary on ivory trade. While it is attractive to think that poachers are acting out of lack of ethics and morals, we explore the full story in this movie.

The son of an acquaintance here in Amsterdam lives in the African bush to help combat poaching. He is an ex-Dutch Marine and trained in survival skills. They put electronic chips in large wildlife to protect them by making them trackable. He would be a possible person to have for the Q&A, but where he lives at the moment in Africa, there is no Internet Connection. Therefore, we asked Marie-Claire Greve, director of the Alliance for Nature and wildlife photographer, to join us for the Q&A.