Rwanda Wildlife Filmmaking

04/24/2025

I did a Zoom Townhall for EarthTeam about the wildlife filmmaking course. EarthTeam and Freeland organizations provided an opportunity to present a PowerPoint on the motivation and results of the course. In a time of chaos and bad news, it was great to be part of a group that still believes in a bright future for conservation and wildlife. Take a look if you're interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE59dBIvXWY

Here's how you can support our efforts: https://igg.me/at/hNAnRwf02nA/x #/

David McGowan, Ravenswood Media, gives a PowerPoint presentation about the wildlife filmmaking course for rangers, trackers, and guides. The presentation was...

11/17/2024

New video from the Rwanda/US Ranger Exchange program:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwXiooShynA

Alcene Musigwa is a Trail Manager from Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda. He spent three months in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to learn and exchange ideas on trail maintenance. The ranger exchange program is between the National Park Service and African Parks in Rwanda. The interview is a short sample of a longer documentary on the ranger exchange produced by the Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers: www.rwandawildlifefilmmaking.com
Consider a donation: https://igg.me/at/hNAnRwf02nA/x/3010600 #/

Alcene Musigwa is a Trail Manager from Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda. He spent three months in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to learn and exchang...

11/08/2024

The Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers are working on a long-format documentary about the ranger exchange between Nyungwe and Great Smoky Mountains national parks.

The Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers; Leonard Iyamurewe, Vianney Ndagiwenimana, and Serge Musasa take a break from filming Trail Boss, Alcene Musigwa (3rd from left). Roger Irakoze with Alcene on the boardwalk over one of the many wetlands in Nyungwe. There are no gorillas in Nyungwe but plenty of monkeys and chimpanzees. It’s a stunning landscape of tropical montane rain forest, waterfalls, and rich biodiversity.

Alcene Musigwa, Nyungwe Trail Boss, has traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains to exchange ideas on park trail maintenance. David McGowan and Mike Crowley went to the Smokies to film Alcene working with park personnel.

The Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers came to their filmmaking skills through a course taught by David McGowan at Red Rocks Initiative in Musanze, Rwanda. The filmmakers have produced several short films and are now ready for a long-format documentary.

10/09/2024

... Gosh darn it! I keep forgetting to add this to my Rwanda posts.
If you are inclined to support the Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers as they make a documentary about the US/Rwanda ranger exchange, the link to contribute is below. They have a steep, steep hill to climb but I have the utmost confidence that they will succeed!

Ravenswood Media has created a filmmaking course for national park rangers, trackers and guides. | Check out 'Rwandan Wildlife Filmmaking Course' on Indiegogo.

10/09/2024

Alcene Musigwa, Nyungwe trail manager, working on trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Alcene is there for a ranger exchange program between the US and Rwanda. It's a great sign to see national parks from across the globe learning from one another.
I will travel to the Smokies next week to interview Alcene for our documentary on the exchange.

09/05/2024

The Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers have successfully completed their task of filming ranger, Alcene Musigwa, in Nyungwe before he departed for the US. He arrived in Knoxville, yesterday.
Now, it's my turn to film Alcene in the Great Smoky Mountains on October 1-5 and I need your support!
Please consider a donation.
https://igg.me/at/hNAnRwf02nA/x/3010600 #/

08/15/2024

The Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers are in Nyungwe National Park gathering footage for their documentary on the ranger exchange between Nyungwe and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. Here's a short sample of the park's incredible biodiversity.

The Rwanda Wildlife Filmmakers crew filmed a Colobus monkey with her baby in the Nyungwe National Park. The crew is making a documentary about the ranger exc...

08/12/2024

The Rwandan Wildlife Filmmakers, Roger Irakoze, Leonard Iyamuremye, Ndagiwenimana Jean Marie Vianney, and Serge Musasa are in Nyungwe National Park with Trails Manager, Alcene Musigwa. This is their first production day on the doc about the ranger exchange between Rwanda and the US. Alcene will travel to Tennessee next month.
Who would think that an equatorial rain forest would be cold at night!

08/12/2024

The Rwandan Wildlife Filmmaking team made it to Nyungwe National Park yesterday. It's a long drive from Musanze to southwest Rwanda. Today is the first day of production on the US/Rwanda Ranger Exchange documentary.
Gishwati NP is next door to Nyungwe.

08/10/2024

The Rwandan Wildlife Filmmakers prepare for their shoot in Nyungwe National Park next week at Red Rocks. Serge Musasa is in charge of audio, seen here with the Han Zoom recorder. Vianney Ndagiwenimana, a professional gorilla tracker, checks lenses and cameras while director, Roger Irakoze, reviews the progress.

08/01/2024

Rangers whether in US, Rwanda, Kazahkstan or wherever deserve our respect and gratitude. They are the frontline against the onslaught of wild places. They do it for little money or recognition but because they have a passion for the outdoors.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/world-ranger-day.htm?fbclid=IwY2xjawEY3WtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYACZpdR8W8Nd4LaWqYJGwnbnGVJyLix03OgBjiRjZA3VO1rQq-PhZ-89Q_aem_N-pOTb_Wof1fr5ik105ahA

National parks became a global phenomenon after the establishment of Yellowstone National Park 150 years ago. The national park “idea” is one of our country’s most important contributions to the global community. The National Park Service has worked with park agencies around the world to estab...

07/18/2024

I had the pleasure to be a part of a live stream for the Kigali Film Festival, AAIFF-Arica. Rwanda is a small country with an out-sized voice in the Arts.