WILD EDENS PROJECT

Andrew Zikking, both producer and director of the documentary speaking at the ceremony said “Wild Edens is a campaign made with three films all promoting the protection of some most pristine wildernesses through renewable energy. The campaign and the series was funded by Rosatom and broadcast on National Geographic. I would like to thank both of them for involvement in this project which is really allowed us to go up there and promote to the audience key messages about how we can protect most pristine wildernesses.”

Deauville Green Awards offers a unique opportunity for companies, institutions, NGOs and communities to promote actions and good practices to meet the challenges of climate change.

Each year the festival draws 500 films from five continents, and in attendance are 400 professionals and hundreds of festivalgoers and students.

Commenting on the sidelines of the premiere of the documentary in India on the evening of March 19th, Freida Pinto, Wild Edens: South Asia’s project’s ambassador, said: “I have been learning a lot regarding the human-wildlife biodiversity connection in my role as ambassador of Wild Edens and as I keep going deeper into the research, the one thing that keeps coming up again and again as one of the biggest solutions is clean and green energy lowering carbon emissions and reducing carbon footprints.”

“Through this well made documentary, the world and my fellow Indians will be able to connect with my country’s exotic mix of wild nature, rare animal life, unique wildlife sanctuaries and magnificent landscapes that are mesmerising but also under the threat of the dangers of climate change. The many wonderful creatures we will be introduced to in this film will win you over by their beauty, their resilience, their survival instincts and also their vulnerability,” Freida added.

“Along with our international partners, we take responsibility for resolving global environmental challenges and call upon the world community to wake up and do the right thing. As Mahatma Gandhi once famously said: “be the change that you wish to see in the world,” Vadim Titov, Rosatom representative, said at the event.

“Wild Edens: South Asia is produced by Off the Fence Productions, based in Bristol, England, the global HQ of natural history filming. Series Producer is Andrew Zikking, Director: Tom Barton-Humphreys.  Executive producers are Ellen Windemouth and Allison Bean.  Premiering in UHD, filming for Wild Edens: South Asia took many months, taking the crew and their kit to the region’s most varied landscapes, including dense forest, fertile plains, towering mountains, and the planet’s largest mangrove forest. The film captures the exotic mixing-pot of iconic wildlife and habitats at risk from climate change, and leads you to think what might be done to mitigate potential destruction”.

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, the world’s leading producer of safe and clean energy, is deeply concerned with the threats associated with global climate change.

“Firstly, we want to draw attention the nature’s rich beauty. Secondly, we want to remind that this environment may fall victim to the destructive consequences of human activities. Our film demonstrates fragility of the ecosystem, as well as the importance of participation of each of us in saving our planet,” Kirill Komarov, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation First Deputy Director General, said at the event.

In her video message Freida Pinto, the project’s ambassador, says: “I believe that the project is very important for a multitude of reasons. It is important because it shows all of us the beauty of a natural world that has been hidden from the human eyes for so many years. It is also important because Wild Edens takes the chance to highlight the risks that we all face if climate change is not something we pay attention to.”

Andrew Zikking Series Producer of the documentary of Off The Fence, said: “Although this film is part of the Wild Edens campaign highlighting the issue of climate change. Our film did not set out just to film habitat destruction, or environmental damage. We wanted to capture and celebrate Turkey’s staggering array of wildlife, but also set out the very real context of what could be lost. We wanted to tell the story of these fragile ecosystems through some Turkey’s most endangered species. At intimate, important moments in their life cycle. Be that mating, hunting or just surviving”.

Filmed over 3 months, the documentary, an Off The Fence production, will air across multiple markets in Turkey, Africa and Europe.

In her speech Freida marked that she is very proud to be a part of Wild Edens – a wonderful project, which highlights the importance to preserve the pristine environment at a time when climate change issue is acute. «Wild Edens is important not just because it shows the beauty of a natural world hidden from most human eyes. The producers traveled to the most remote areas of the world to capture these pristine environments and the result is truly beautiful. But just as important is to highlight in a very touching way just what we risk losing if we don’t pay attention to the threat of climate change to our environment». Wild Edens sheds light on the crippling effects that global warming has on Earth’s fragile and delicate ecosystems – and the flora and fauna that we may irreversibly lose if we don’t lower our collective carbon footprint.

Kirill Komarov (First Deputy Director General for Corporate Development and International Business, ROSATOM): «Freida is a genuinely compassionate person, who throughout the years has supported a whole host of sustainable development causes, including the UN Global Goals campaign».
«As I educate myself further with the help of Wild Edens how green energy is part of the solution to climate change, I am truly excited to use my platform to spread this message, giving humanity a fighting chance to play its role in saving our planet», said Pinto.
Freida Pinto has been involved with Girl Rising for 4 years. The movement is focused on creating behavioral changes towards the way girls are viewed in many parts of the world by helping them get an education and through the use of the visual medium – storytelling.

Acclaimed Australian environmentalist Ben Heard, Founder and Executive Director of the non-governmental organization Bright New World, kicked off the event and talked about the perils of global warming. However, he emphasized that there is both hope and room for positive change: “Thanks to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases, nothing remains untouched by our civilization. Our rapidly changing climate is no longer any kind of hypothetical. But we can decide to make a planet that is better and brighter than we have ever let ourselves dream.”

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, the world’s leading producer of safe and clean energy, is deeply concerned with the threats associated with global climate change.  Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General, said:  “This is why we are supporting the creation of the Wild Edens project. We want to draw the public’s attention to the global warming crisis and showcase the detrimental impact that mounting CO2 emissions generated by carbon energy sources are having on our planet.”

Ellen Windemuth, Executive Producer of Off The Fence, said: “Russia is such a vast and elusive land that we relished the opportunity as film makers to capture the unique footage of this incredible region. This documentary helps viewers to discover Russian’s rich natural wealth and catalogue it before this fragile paradise is negatively and possibly irrevocably impacted by climate change.

Filmed over 12 months, the 1 x 60 documentary, an Off The Fence production, will air across multiple markets in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe. Acquired by Jules Oldroyd, Ellen Windemuth and Allison Bean are Exec Producers for Off The Fence productions. Andrew Zikking is both producer and director of the documentary.

ENDS

About Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation is the world leader in the production of safe and clean energy, and it adheres to the principle of social responsibility and the need for preserving natural resources. Rosatom comprises 350 companies and research institutions in the nuclear industry. With over 70 years of experience in the nuclear sector, Rosatom offers integrated services in the nuclear industry, from uranium enrichment to building nuclear power plants internationally, while giving priority to improving product quality, introducing innovative technologies as well as environmental management. Rosatom is actively implementing projects in the field of applied research and innovation, and annually invests 4.5% of its income into research projects. Russian atomic technologies have been used in the construction of 120 research reactors around the world.

Wild Edens is a unique project whose main goal it is to focus the attention of the international community to climate change, the threat it poses to the global ecosystem, and the need for a global transition to clean and carbon-free energy.

Off the Fence, an independent production company produced the Wild Edens: Russia documentary. Executive producers are Ellen Windemuth and Allison Bean. Producer and Director is Andrew Zikking. The documentary will center on flora and fauna in the natural habitats of Russia. The documentary was filmed in a number of rugged and remote locations, including the Altai Mountains, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the Arctic. The premiere of the first film will take place at the Jubilee X International Forum ATOMEXPO 2018, which will be held on May 14–16 in Sochi (Russia). The documentary will then be broadcast on National Geographic Channel.

Rosatom, National Geographic representatives, members of the film crew, leading industry experts and opinion leaders attended the project launch in Madrid.

When speaking at the official part of the event, Kirill Komarov, First Deputy Director General for Corporate Development and International Business, Rosatom, said that nuclear power is the basis of a carbon-free non-polluting energy mix. “Inspired by the unique natural phenomena, the pristine and pure beauty of the world, Rosatom, which builds more nuclear power plants than any other company in the world, takes responsibility for solving some of the global environmental challenges of humanity. We want to preserve the unique beauty of our planet for future generations,” said Kirill Komarov.

In her turn, National Geographic’s Senior Vice President for International Cooperation Annabelle Canwell highlighted in her welcoming speech: “I’m happy to attend this beautiful event here in this gorgeous space in Madrid. Since 1888, National Geographic has been keen to care about the planet. Furthering our understanding and knowledge of our world is, and always has been, at the very core of what National Geographic does. As Jane Goodall once said, “only if we understand, will we care, only if we care, will we help, and only if we help shall all be saved”. I want to congratulate Off The Fence on this interesting and absolutely stunning series and thank Rosatom for their support in ensuring that we can bring this wonderful Wild Edens documentary series to the audience.”

Event guests enjoyed a photo exhibition, showing footage from the filming of Wild Edens: Russia, the first feature-length documentary film in the series.

About Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation is the world leader in the production of safe and clean energy, and it adheres to the principle of social responsibility and the need for preserving natural resources. Rosatom comprises 350 companies and research institutions in the nuclear industry. With over 70 years of experience in the nuclear sector, Rosatom offers integrated services in the nuclear industry, from uranium enrichment to building nuclear power plants internationally, while giving priority to improving product quality, introducing innovative technologies as well as environmental management. Rosatom is actively implementing projects in the field of applied research and innovation, and annually invests 4.5% of its income into research projects. Russian atomic technologies have been used in the construction of 120 research reactors around the world.