''The Disenchanted Forest'' is a 1999 documentary film that follows endangered orphan
orangutans
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ' ...
on the island of
Borneo
Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
as they are rehabilitated and returned to their rainforest home. It centres on the three main
Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) projects - Wanariset, Nyaru Menteng and Mawas. It is narrated by
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...
.
[DVD VHS ]
Synopsis
In the Bornean
rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
Dr.
Anne Russon,
primate
Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...
psychologist, broaches new territory in the attempt to understand orangutan intelligence and psychology. Orangutans, like humans, have "culture." They do not rely solely on animal instinct for survival. Instead a rich and complex society of elders and peers provides the young with critical knowledge that is necessary for their survival in the rainforest. The destruction of the orangutan's habitat to make way for
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
plantations and the illegal pet-trade threaten the lives of these great apes. When they are taken out of their habitat or when it is destroyed, their culture is disabled.
Dr.
Willie Smits
Willie Smits (born February 22, 1957, in Weurt, Gelderland, the Netherlands) is a trained forester, microbiologist, conservationist, animal welfare activist, wilderness engineer and social entrepreneur. He has lived in Indonesia since 1985 an ...
, director of the
Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Project, and his team rescue hundreds of orangutans. Dr. Smits is committed to preserving orangutan habitat and returning captives back into rainforest homes.
Dr Carl Van Schaik,
primatologist, discusses the rapidly diminishing opportunity to learn about human evolution as the number of wild orangutans dwindles precariously. He believes questions such as, 'where does our culture come from?' can be answered through the study of orangutan culture and in this context discusses the incredibly fragile culture of the solitary orangutan.
At Wanariset the orphans learn the skills they need to survive in the wild. When they are old and skilled enough they are released into protected rainforest. Without mothers and more knowledgeable elders, strange 'Lord of the Flies' communities evolve in the forest. Eventually the orangutans learn to sustain themselves without human aid.
With the impending
extinction
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
of orangutans, opportunities to observe and interact
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is i ...
them in their natural setting are reduced.
"Poignant without sentimentality...making us think hard about the meanings and values of culture and nature." Prof. Lorraine Daston
Lorraine Jenifer Daston (born June 9, 1951) is an American historian of science. She is director emerita of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin, visiting professor in the Committee on Social Thought at the U ...
, Director, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (German: Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte) is a scientific research institute founded in March 1994. It is dedicated to addressing fundamental questions of the history of knowled ...
Awards
*Commendation, The Genesis Awards, 2002.
*Finalist, Marion Zentz Best Newcomer Award, Jackson Hole Film Festival, 2001.
*Merit Award for Educational Value & Merit Award for Production Value, International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula, Montana, 2002.
*2nd Place EarthVision Environmental Film & Video Competition, 2001.
*Merit Award, Columbus, Ohio, 2002.
*Best Cinematography, Festival du Cinéma de Bruxelles, 2004.
Festivals
* International Primatogical Society Film Festival
* Merit Awards, International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula
* Finalist, Best Newcomer Award, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
* Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film & Video Festival
* Commendation, The Genesis Awards
* Best Cinematography, Brussels Film Festival
* 2nd Place, EarthVision Environmental Film and Video Competition
* 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
* EcoVision Festival, Palermo
* Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth
See also
* ''
Orangutan Island
''Orangutan Island'' is an American documentary film, documentary television series, in the style of the earlier series ''Meerkat Manor'', that blends more traditional documentary filming with Dramatic programming, dramatic narration. The series ...
'' (
NHNZ
NHNZ Worldwide (formerly Natural History New Zealand and also known as NHNZ) is a New Zealand–based television production house.
It works and co-produces with multiple major global broadcasters: Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Sci ...
)
* ''
Orangutan Diary
''Orangutan Diaries'' is a nature documentary series on the BBC, which follows the lives of Bornean orangutans in the care of Lone Drøscher Nielsen, a member of the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) foundation. The program tries to detail the t ...
'' (
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
)
* ''
The Burning Season''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Disenchanted Forest
1999 films
American documentary films
Documentary films about nature
Nature conservation in Indonesia
Environmental issues in Indonesia
Orangutan conservation
1999 documentary films
Borneo
Films about apes
2000s English-language films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
2000s American films
English-language documentary films