Murders of environmental defenders in the global south have reached a record high. It is hard to find an emotion to feel for that sentence when we are muddled with anxiety and fear for ourselves and our loved ones. We wanted to tackle the apathy and disinterest in the grave statistics of plunder, deforestation, wildlife trafficking, mining and environmental abuse that eventually affects us all.
We felt an urgent need to speak of the staggering number of activists and indigenous people killed during the time we were all collectively held in lockdowns and hence we embarked on ‘The Last Defenders’.
We have chosen six local filmmakers who are passionate about the environment. They have embedded themselves with the defenders and risked their own lives to tell these compelling stories. Our hope was that by stepping into the shoes of the people who risk their lives for their surroundings, we would discover the awe and beauty of nature and maybe find our own motivation to save and protect the natural world.
- Aditya Thayi (Executive Producer)
The epoch of the anthropocene has radically altered the planet we call home - humanity’s chosen models of development have often resulted in the profound destruction of the natural world.
When we set out to make The Last Defenders, we looked for the opposite. These are stories of people who have dedicated their lives to the defence of the few remaining areas of natural wildness. Their motivations vary; for some, it’s part of their identity, for others, a passion, for others still, a good livelihood.
But as we got to know these remarkable individuals, it became clear the awareness this work had imbued in them - all had come to a similar realisation; nature’s prosperity is also our own.
We hope that when you watch The Last Defenders, you see the stories of people who have made that realisation their life.
- Simon Hipkins (Executive Producer)