The cost of protecting nature

This new project from Studio Birthplace is an eight-minute dive into the dangers faced by those who are simply trying to protect their homes and the land on which those homes sit. 

Set to the music of Novo Amor the film, which premiered yesterday at the COP29 Climate Change Conference, was shot on location within the forests of Sungai Utik, in Indonesia. 

Called Earth Defenders, the film captures the Iban community’s commitment to preserving their lands and highlights how, globally, every 48 hours an earth defender goes missing or is murdered while trying to protect their homeland from encroaching industry. The film underscores the need for global support and policy change to ensure these protectors’ safety. 

Directed by Studio Birthplace's Jorik Dozy and Sil Van der Woerd, who have recently signed with Creators Inc, and Indigenous filmmaker Kynan Tegar, the film tells the story of a father and son, their relationship to each other, to the beauty and importance of the land on which they were born, and the devastating consequences of its destruction, both on the land itself and the people trying to protect it.

Click here to find out more about Earth Defender and how and why it was made.

“Indigenous knowledge is crucial for our survival on this planet," said Amor. "We hope Earth Defender will move people to stand with these communities and recognise the urgency of their mission.”

“Indigenous and earth defender voices must be amplified because they lead some of the most important work on the front line of our climate and human rights crises," added Dozy and van der Woerd. "We wanted to support their story with our craft and skills but, as Westerners, of course we cannot speak for them. So, we collaborated closely with filmmaker Kynan Tegar and the Indigenous community where Kynan is from, to ensure this is their story, told their way, with their voices guiding every step.”

“A collaboration between cultures like this is really important," said Tegar. "Studio Birthplace took into account the Indigenous voices, avoiding tokenism, which is what is happening in a lot of different spaces. That didn't happen here. It was a very real collaboration where everyone was able to equally contribute and shape the film into what they believed was right.

You can support the Earth Defender mission by clicking here.