PWFF 2023
Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival, the second edition, took place in the magical yet quaint town of Watamu, Malindi in Kilifi county. It was attended by delegates from both the continent and globally with the numbers trippling from last year. The beautiful Temple Point Resort was the main venue and accommodation partner. There were film screenings, conservation excursions, panels and workshops during the three day event which was capped off by the awards ceremony and after party. Watch the highlight reel and pictures below from the event and experience the phenomenon that was PWFF 2023.
Highlight Reel
Speakers & PANELISTS

Keynote Speaker
Nusrat Durrani
Nusrat Durrani is the award-winning New York-based founder and ex-General Manager of MTV World, Viacom's (now Paramount's) global division. He is also a media strategist, and series and film producer. He created the acclaimed "Rebel Music" series for MTV, for which he was honored by President Obama, as well as the omnibus film "Madly," featuring unusual love stories from renowned artists like Anurag Kashyap, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Mia Wasikowska. His documentary directorial debut, "An American Prayer," premiered at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn. Nusrat is working on a new feature film, a Malayalam supernatural thriller from South India, and writing his first two books.
Journalist/ Producer
Marete Selvin
Marete Selvin is a Journalist/ Producer with several years of experience producing news broadcasts, reporting, and storytelling spanning global issues, including health, climate change, agriculture, and conservation. She has produced captivating and informative video content for international organizations, non-profit organizations, and research institutions and different media houses.
Marete is also an AWF/African Conservation Voices Fellow (2021), an initiative founded to use the power of media and film to develop and elevate African perspectives, inspire wonder for our living planet, and catalyze positive change in conservation. She is also a NEWF (Nature, Environment, and Wildlife Filmmakers) Fellow, a collective for African filmmakers, conservationists, and scientists to engage, network, and contribute (through storytelling) towards the vision of protecting the continent’s natural resources.
Her work has been showcased at the Jackson Wild Film Festival 2022 and the World Health Organization Film Festival 2022, and Giving Nature Voice a weekly show on Kenya’s NTV. She is the co-founder of Meraki Africa, a multimedia communication and production company committed to redefining development narratives for positive social change.


Poet, Playwright, & Performing Artist
Sitawa Namwalie
Sitawa Namwalie is an award-winning Kenyan poet, playwright and performing artist known for her unique dramatized poetry performances which combine poetry and classical Kenyan musical traditions. “Cut off My Tongue,” her first performance was performed in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and at the Hay Festival in the UK in 2009. In 2010 “Cut off my Tongue” was selected by the Sundance Theatre Lab in the first East African Sundance Lab held on Manda Island. Sitawa’s growing body of work includes short stories, dramatized poetry productions, and plays, “Homecoming” (2010), “Silence is a Woman”, (2014), “Black Maria on Koinange Street” and “Room of Lost Names” (2015), “Taking my Father Home” (2020), “Escape” the Musical.
Sitawa Namwalie is a fellow of the Tallberg Foundation and lives in Nairobi and works as an international consultant. Sitawa holds a BSC in Botany and Zoology from the University of Nairobi and an MA in Environmental Studies from Clark University, Massachusetts, USA.
Community Conservation Advocate
Resson Kantai Duff
Resson is the Portfolio Funding Director at Maliasili. Having worked in the environmental and conservation space for fifteen years, Resson’s work has grown to revolve around co-creating and advancing a community-led narrative where Africans can reclaim their sense of ownership over their wildlife, culture and land. She previously served as the Deputy Director of Ewaso Lions, a community conservation organisation in northern Kenya. She is a Women for the Environment (WE Africa) Founding Fellow, a TED Speaker, a National Geographic Explorer, and was also conferred the Wild Elements Innovator award in 2021.


Creative lead, Boots on the Ground Podcast
Dibblex Lesalon
Dibblex Lesalon is the visionary force behind the captivating podcast, Boots on the Ground, he is the Creative Lead, embracing the power of one-on-one conversations to amplify the voices for conservation. A masterful host, he orchestrates compelling dialogues and seamlessly navigates a myriad of captivating topics and diverse personalities within the realms of tourism and conservation.
Presently, Dibblex is the Communication Officer for the Mara Elephant Project, stationed at the Lemek Conservancy in Maasai Mara. Guided by an avid passion for community-led conservation initiatives, conservation tourism, and nature-positive travel, he showcases a rare talent for weaving impactful conservation narratives.He is an African conservation voices fellow and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Tourism Management from Strathmore University.'
Wildlife and Conservation Filmmaker
Hans Cosmas Ngoteya
Hans Cosmas Ngoteya is a National Geographic Explorer and conservationist from and based in Tanzania. He is the co-founder of Ngoteya Wild, a conservation and storytelling company based in Tanzania as well as Landscape and conservation mentors organization(LCMO) and Tanzania Wildlife Media Association (TaWiMA), an association of professional Tanzanian wildlife content creators that aims to market, promote and educate local communities about the wildlife resources found in Tanzania. His ultimate goal is to develop and explore practical solutions that solve emerging conservation challenges and help communities co-exist with wildlife.


Environmental Education Expert
Jonathan Odongo
Jonathan Odongo is the founder and national coordinator of the Kenya Environmental Education Network, a nonprofit organization promoting environmental learning and action at the grassroots. With over a decade of experience in environmental education, communication, climate change, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development, he has participated in prestigious global platforms such as the Global Environmental Educators Forum and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Jonathan organized a Virtual Conference on Environment and Politics in Africa, uniting speakers from eight countries to explore the intersection of environmental protection, climate change, leadership, governance, and policymaking. Through Dongo Media, he produces films and multimedia content to raise awareness and amplify grassroots conservation voices in Africa. Jonathan holds a degree in Environmental Education from Kenyatta University.
Managing Director at SEETREE
Dr. Claudia Zenkert
Managing Director and Executive Producer Claudia Zenkert, who holds a doctorate in molecular biology, is responsible for the development and financing of over ten projects, including several international series and five-parters, such as THE BORDERLESS SKY (ZDF/arte, Universum Film), REWILDING (Blue Ant Media, Smithsonian Channel), the NHK Science Pandaaward-winning NAKED MOLE RAT (ZDF/arte, Smithsonian Channel, National Geographic Channels International) and the award-winning MYSTERY IN YELLOWSTONE (WDR, Arte France, Smithsonian Channel). Zenkert is experienced in international co-productions, and an out-of-the-box thinker when it comes to financing and distribution strategies, e.g. as 71% AND RISING, one of SEETREE’s current conservation/wildlife projects, is also implementing 360°VR experiences, as ARinstallations for museums and other venues – to create maximum impact for the project.


KWT Programs Manager, Kenya Wildlife Trust
Dr. Irene Amoke
Irene is currently the Executive Director of Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT). A landscape ecologist with over fifteen years of experience in field ecology, GIS, and project management, she has worked in academia, government, and the private sector in Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Irene is passionate about bridging the gap between evidence-based science and policy formulation in the conservation sector and holds a BSc in Zoology, an MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management, and a Ph.D. in Landscape Ecology. Her research interest is in the intersection of wildlife, people, and emerging land uses, specifically how to mitigate and adapt to negative impacts, especially in fragile ecosystems. Irene is a 2022 Eisenhower Fellow and serves on the boards and advisory councils of several national and international conservation organizations.
Filmmaker and Director of PWFF
Fiona Tande
Fiona is a wildlife conservationist, filmmaker, dive certified camera assistant, and upcoming field producer/director. She established Pridelands Films, a platform that elevates local filmmakers and helps tell African conservation stories. She is also the founder and director of Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival, Africa's first and ONLY film festival dedicated to showcasing and celebrating African storytellers telling the stories of wild Africa. Her goal is to change the narrative by being an active part of the grassroot storytelling community and ensuring that their authentic voices and nuanced stories are seen and heard in the wildlife film industry both across the continent and internationally.


Investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker
Maurice Oniang’o
Maurice Oniang’o is a versatile investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker with a keen focus on conservation, natural history, social justice, human rights, and corruption.
He has honed his skills in writing and producing multimedia content for renowned media outlets such as National Geographic, The Guardian, The Continent, Africa Uncensored, Al Jazeera’s AJ+, EuroNews, 100Reporters, NTV, KTN, and more.
Maurice was part of the inaugural cohort of National Geographic’s Field Ready. Through the program, he had the privilege of working as a Production Runner for the on-location production of two scenes for Super/Natural currently streaming on National Geographic and Disney Plus. Geographic and Disney Plus.
His passion and hard work are reflected by the various awards he has received, including the Winner Development Reporting Award TV-2021 (Media Council of Kenya), Winner Environmental Reporter of the Year TV-2015 (Media Council of Kenya), and Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year-2014 (Foreign Press Association, London), among many others.
He is a National Geographic Explorer, a NEWF Fellow, and a 2022 Journalism Fellow at Oxford University’s the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Wildlife filmmaker
Akansha Tiwari
Akansha Tiwari is a wildlife filmmaker from India who works primarily on stories of marine conservation and fisheries.
She has been working with the coastal and diving community over the last few years focusing on conscious consumption, sustainability, post harvest, traceability and ALDFG (ghost gear). She is currently collaborating with the local stakeholders to develop solutions to the problem of marine debris and producing projects that empower local voices while promoting inclusive storytelling.


Conservationist and wildlife Cinematographer
Erica Rugabanda
Erica Rugabandana is a conservationist and wildlife cinematographer from Tanzania. She is passionate and believes in the power of films. Her stories focus on conservation and aim to educate, create awareness and lead to positive changes among individuals and communities.
Director and Cinematographer
Karin Slater
Karin Slater was invited as a lifetime member of the Academy and judge of the Oscars in 2020. She works as a director and cinematographer with her main interest in indigenous wisdom and wildlife. Her speciality is big cats having hand raised, two leopards, a lioness and working closely with cheetahs and tigers while living in remote parts of Africa. Her documentaries have screened at Sundance, Berlinale, Hot Docs, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Wildscreen and she has won numerous awards including the Trailblazer Award for innovative and creative work in the field of documentaries at Mipdoc, Cannes 2008, Best Feature Documentary at the International Innovations Film Festival 2019, Switzerland and she’s been eligible for an Oscar. She’s also a teacher of documentary filmmaking and was head mentor at Big Fish film school for seven years and has been a lecturer at Selkirk College, BC, Canada.


Writer, Director, Teacher
Mkamzee Mwatela
Storytelling is in Mkamzee’s DNA. Coming from a long line of griots and healers, she has continued her family legacy into the modern era working in film, television and theatre. She has 7 musical theatre performance credits with Sterling Quality and NPAS, over 25 theatre acting credits with the Phoenix Players, Back to Basics, Arts Canvas and Heartstrings Ensemble, 6 theatre directing credits, and 3 theatre writing credits. In more recent years Mkamzee has worked onscreen and garnered 4 film acting credits most notably in Lusala and Night of the Lotus, and over 6 television acting credits. When she isn't performing, Mkamzee spends her time writing, directing, and teaching.
Documentary Filmmaker
Nanang Sujana
Nanang Sujana is an award winning documentary filmmaker whose work has involved directing, filming and editing a variety of films such as environmental, indigenous peoples, social and human rights. He has been work for news features and programming on BBC Natural History, Netflix, National Geographic, The Guardian, HBO, PBS, Al Jazeera, Stern TV and other major broadcasters.


Filmmaker and Entrepreneur
Salim Amin
Some children live in the shadows of their fathers. Others, like filmmaker and entrepreneur Salim Amin, build on their father’s legacy while standing in a light of their own.
The heir to one of Africa’s largest and most renowned television production companies, Salim became the reluctant leader of Camerapix upon the untimely death of his father in 1996. “I was still learning the ropes,” says Salim. “My father’s death at the hands of terrorists put him at the center of an international story. It was a huge loss for our family, and his shoes remain too large to fill.” But that hasn’t stopped Salim Amin from making Camerapix a major media voice in 21st century Africa.
From humble roots in a small shop in Dar es Salaam, Salim’s father Mohamed Amin began Camerapix in 1963. With the instincts of a warrior and the heart of a leader, Mohamed Amin built Camerapix into a sustainable, world class organization covering news, features and producing documentaries with a variety of global networks including the BBC, NBC and Reuters. Today, Salim Amin has continued that tradition by helping educate Africa’s youth through the Mohamed Amin Foundation and as a founder of Africa24 Media, a media platform that was dedicated to positive stories about the culture and history of Africa.
Recognized in 2007 as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Salim’s
leadership has been rewarded. Today, Camerapix works in collaboration with production partners throughout Africa, Britain, Europe, Asia and the United States. New African Magazine has recognized
Salim as one of the top “100 Most Influential Africans” and has named Salim among their “Top 50 Under 50.” Salim was one of only 150 global leaders invited to President Obama’s 2010 summit on Presidential Entrepreneurship in Washington DC.
Salim’s work as a producer includes the internationally acclaimed feature documentary Mo & Me, the One.org production of Revisiting Korem, and executive producing the award-winning documentary The Sound Man. As an on-camera host and producer, Salim achieved acclaim across the continent for his production of more than 150 episodes of The Scoop, a weekly half hour series featuring Africa’s foremost voices in art, culture and finance. At it’s peak, The Scoop reached more than 300 million viewers weekly in broadcast and online viewership.
Salim published his first book in December 2018 titled KENYA: Through My Father’s Eyes, a coffee table book showcasing his father’s unique images of Kenya. It is also the first historical book on Africa incorporating Augmented Reality with 12 videos embedded in the pages of the book.
For the past decade, Camerapix has worked closely with the US-based Duncan Entertainment Group to preserve and maintain thousands of hours of motion pictures and still photo content featuring Africa, the Middle East and south Asia.
director, writer, and cinematographer
Van YÁNG (楊崗)
Van YÁNG (楊崗)is a Chinese-American director, writer, and cinematographer from Taiwan. His obsession with environmental philosophy eventually lead him to cinematic storytelling, creating work for lululemon, Audi, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Alibaba, Tencent, and Dr. Jane Goodall. Van currently works in the emotion neuroscience lab of Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett.


Photographer and Filmmaker
Evgenia Arbugaeva
Evgenia Arbugaeva is a Yakutian (Eastern Siberia) photographer and filmmaker. For more than a decade she has been telling stories of her homeland, the Russian Arctic. Her photographs appeared in National Geographic, Time, The New Yorker among others. Her debut film Haulout co-directed with her brother Maxim Arbugaev had been nominated for the Academy Award this year.
Speakers

Nusrat Durrani
Keynote Speaker

Marete Selvin

Sitawa Namwalie

Resson Kantai Duff

Dibblex Lesalon

Hans Cosmas Ngoteya

Jonathan Odongo

Dr. Claudia Zenkert

Dr. Irene Amoke

Fiona Tande

Maurice Oniang

Akansha Tiwari

Erica Rugabanda

Karin Slater

Mkamzee Mwatela

Nanang Sujana

SALIM AMIN

Van Yang

Evgenia Arbugaeva

Maurice Oniang’o
Maurice Oniang’o

Karin Slater
Panelist

Vincent Mbaya
Panelist

Salim Amin
Panelist

Resson Kantai Duff
Panelist

Sitawa Namwalie
Panelist

Nanang Sujana
Main Producer

Van Yang
Panelist

Dr. Irene Amoke
Panelist

Hans Cosmas Ngoteya
Panelist

Fiona Tande

Akansha Tiwari
Panelist

Jonathan Odongo
Panelist

Dibblex Lesalon
Panelist
