The Beijing International Film Festival has selected the Netflix documentary The Ivory Game as part of its 2017 lineup.
The move comes as China has recently decided to end the ivory trade in the country by the end of the year – a move that will go a long way toward preventing the extinction of elephants.
Details follow the jump.
BEIJING INTL. FILM FESTIVAL SELECTS NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY “THE IVORY GAME”
LOS ANGELES, CA, Jan. 13, 2017 – Netflix announced today that the Beijing International Film Festival has made the elephant conservation documentary “The Ivory Game” an official selection. The state-run film festival’s selection comes on the heels of China’s recent decision to ban the ivory trade by the end of 2017.
Directors Richard Ladkani and Kief Davidson herald China’s groundbreaking conservation moves: “On December 30, we received the amazing and historic news, that China will ban ivory. It was this single most important act that may save the elephants. We have now received word that ‘The Ivory Game’ has been invited to screen at the Beijing Film Festival. After 4 years of production, we had little faith that the Chinese people would ever get to see this film (by legal means at least) so we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Some estimates say that as many as 100,000 elephants have been destroyed by poachers worldwide. Without China’s support through a ban, the black market would have continued to feed the demand for ivory by keeping poaching lucrative.
Noted conservationist Jane Goodall said China’s support will also help end the loss of life among rangers working to protect the elephants from poachers. “They work with few resources and inadequate equipment. More than 100 die every year, many killed by commercial poachers who fuel the ivory trade, others by armed militias who often use poached ivory to fund their wars. This is yet another reason why ending the ivory trade is so important.”
“The Ivory Game” has been heralded for its depiction of the dangerous underworld of ivory trading, unfolding like a thriller. Following the pursuit of this so-called “white gold,” the documentary uses interviews with intelligence operatives, undercover activists, frontline rangers and conservationists to show how banning ivory will help protect elephants worldwide. The United States announced its ban on ivory in early 2016.
“The Ivory Game” has been shortlisted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making it one of only 15 films in contention for a 2017 Oscar nomination on Jan. 24.
“The Ivory Game” is 2016 winner of the international WWF Golden Panda Award, presented at the Wildscreen Festival in Great Britain.