Progressive Film Hour - Boots on the Ground and We Are Rhino - 12.16.14

Tuesday December 16, 3pm EST: Mitchell will be featuring two films, Boots on the Groundand We Are Rhino, with guests Matthew Bracken, filmmaker and actor (in We are Rhino) andChristopher J. Gervais, environmental scientist, Founder and CEO of Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.

 

.

.

Boots on the Ground

Watch the trailer:

.

We Are Rhino

.Watch the trailer:

.
Four years ago, Matthew Bracken took a sabbatical from his career in the African photographic safari industry and became the first American to graduate from the Protrack Anti-Poaching Ranger Training program in Hoedspruit, South Africa. Today, the Minnesota native is dedicating his life to ending rhino poaching in Africa. Bracken is currently featured in Spencer Austin’s documentary “We Are Rhino”.

Rhinos are being slaughtered in South Africa for their horns at a rate of three per day. Two years ago Matt Bracken became the first American to graduate from Protrack Anti Poaching Ranger Training in South Africa and has since dedicated his life to saving rhinos from extinction in the wild. Boots on the Ground is the story of the anti poaching rangers in the bush risking their lives every day and night protecting the rhinos. Experience the blood, sweat, and tears of four anti-poaching rangers through their training and patrol in the South African bush as they sacrifice the comforts of home to save the worlds last rhinos.

Christopher Gervais is an environmental and marine scientist and has graduate studies in vertebrate paleontology. He worked as a field researcher, laboratory scientist and teacher at multiple natural history museums to put himself through his college years.

Christopher was a biology teacher and later an administrator, at the time the youngest Principal for a public school in the state of Florida.While a graduate student, Christopher conducted fieldwork and research to study the Pleistocene Mega fauna fossils that were deposited over 10,000 years ago.

His study of these extinct species informs his concerns for preserving biodiversity and was a significant factor in the founding of the WCFF. Christopher was one of the first scientists to conduct underwater vertebrate paleontology research. He is a professional, advanced scuba diver with over 2,500 logged dives.

Christopher founded the WCFF in 2010. He is a philanthropic supporter of conservation organizations and is President of the International Exploration Society (IES), Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, member of the Ocean Geographic Society, friend of American Philosophical Society and a Board Member of the Pet Philanthropy Circle. He is a willdlife photographer and documentary filmmaker.

Current films projects involve cetacean rights and the Sumatran Rhino. He also leads wildlife photography and film expeditions each year that allow people to get up close and personal with species that few people have the opportunity to ever see in person.