Saved by the Moon

‘SAVED BY THE MOON’ is the inspiring true story of JILL ROBINSON, a wildlife activist who has dedicated her life to abolishing the cruel practice of bear bile farming in Southeast Asia and China.  

Moon bears are a native bear species in Asia.  Although endangered, they are routinely captured and kept in ‘crush cages’ on bear farms.  Their gall bladder bile is harvested in the most primitive and inhumane ways, and has been used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine dating back 3000 years.  The bears exist in a constant state of distress and pain.  

As a young woman having relocated from her native England to Hong Kong, Jill has a chance encounter with a suffering bear on a bile farm that instantly changes the course of her life.  She becomes a passionate advocate for the bears, directing all her energies to halting the practice of bear bile harvesting.  Despite cultural and bureaucratic roadblocks to her efforts,

Jill establishes a non-profit, Animals Asia, to bring awareness to the bears’ plight, both in Asia and the rest of the world at large.  With the help of a small but dedicated group of local volunteers, Jill begins rescuing bears on a small scale and establishing sanctuaries where they can roam free.  Although there are victories (Vietnam becomes the first Asian country to ban bear bile farming due to Jill’s efforts), there are many defeats.   

Through it all, Jill never gives up, even when her efforts take a toll on her personal life. The story culminates in one of the largest bear rescues in history – 101 bears caravanned in an armada of transports across China, a stunning sight that goes viral to the rest of the world.  At one point, the caravan gets stuck in traffic.  They are forced to operate on Jill’s favorite bear right there on the side of the road.  With the bear’s life hanging in the balance, a local Chinese hospital lends support, and the operation is a success.  Cheers rise from the hundreds of Chinese people that have come out and surrounded the transport, moved by the bear’s plight.  

Eventually, the rescued bears are released in a sanctuary.  As Jill watches them frolic in the sun, many for the first time in their lives, her heart swells.   But she also knows there is still much work to be done.  She will not rest until bear bile farms are outlawed completely. 

Shutter Effect

Mohamed Amin, was an African photographer and frontline cameraman whose images of famine victims in Ethiopia in 1984 stirred a world reaction, and resulted in an outpouring of food aid. When he picked up his camera on October 19th that year, he couldn’t possibly have known that the footage he would capture over the next two days would change not only his own life, but millions more.

Working for Visnews media agency, the Kenyan photographer and cameraman had teamed up with BBC correspondents Michael Buerk and Mike Wooldridge
to cover a famine that was ravaging Ethiopia.

Using Mo’s contacts established over years of filming in the country, the team was able to secure access to a makeshift refugee camp in the northern town
of Korem, a previously restricted area.

There, they witnessed the consequences of the crisis. caused by years of drought and exacerbated by secessionist conflict, the famine threatened seven million people with starvation.

The resulting report was apocalyptic: children standing on legs as thin as matchsticks, wailing from the pain of hunger, emaciated mothers unable
to breastfeed their new born babies and seemingly endless rows of people waiting for food, clothing and shelter.

The story resonated around the world, shocking and shaming the international community into action. Almost a third of the UK‘s adult population saw the first BBC broadcasts, including musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure who were inspired to act.

Geldof was so moved by the heart-breaking images, he wrote the song  “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” He assembled some of the UK’s biggest artists to record the song which went on to sell over three million copies and as a direct result inspired both Live Aid and “We are the World”.

Live Aid was a 16-hour charity concert that took place on July 13th, 1985,
to raise funds for the ongoing crisis. The star-studded concert, featuring performances by the likes of Bob Dylan and David Bowie, was held in dual venues in London and Philadelphia, and was watched by around 1.9 billion people. It is thought the event raised around $150m for famine relief.

On January 21, 1985 “We Are the World” was recorded in the US, being an historic event that brought together some of the era’s best-known musicians. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is the eighth-bestselling physical single of all time. The promotion and merchandise helped “We Are the World” raise more than $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States. Without Mo, none of this would have happened.

Filming the famine changed not only Mo’s status as a journalist, but also the way he approached his work. Previously driven by the urge to “scoop the world”, this was the first time he felt truly connected to a story.

Covering the crisis made Mo a celebrity in journalism circles and while he basked in the limelight, he also used his newfound fame to make sure the story was not forgotten.

Daughter

‘Daughter’ asks how we can reconcile the worst parts of ourselves with the person we want to be. This is a series about the predatory parts of male society that are hidden by a show of charm and humour. It’s about the acceptance that the man dancing in fairy wings and the man with the metal rod in his hand are the same person. With love and violence, it leaves the audience reeling long after the bruise has faded.

ABE the Father: He talks about his six-year-old daughter. He is light-headed with anguish at her birth, joyful at her silly dances, then fed up at her reluctance to obey. Confessing his toxic attitudes towards women and his struggles with parenthood, He reveals acts of worsening behaviour and violence. He tests us, asking how comfortable we are with what he’s doing, how much will he be forgiven, and at what point do we stop laughing. He doesn’t like the things he’s done, but you never know how you’ll act until you’re in the moment, do you? With a magnetic performance he captures his audience and forces an uncomfortable tone on them. We don’t know if this is just therapy for him?