“Tam Mỹ Tây”, a film telling the story of a group of friends in Tam My Tay commune of Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam province who protect the grey-shanked douc langur, has won the runner-up title in the Documentary Short category of the 2023 Films for the Forest.
The documentary directed by James Thomson is a co-production between Melt Films and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Vietnam, in association with GreenViet.
The gray-shanked douc langur is currently listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as one of the world’s 25 critically-endangered primates.
The film documents a group of friends as they create a community patrol to protect grey-shanked douc langur, which is listed as one of the forest animals in danger of extinction and are banned from being exploited or used for commercial purposes.
Under the support of WWF Vietnam and GreenViet, the group has gained positive outcomes in their work.
Films for the Forest was initially launched by the Rainforest Partnership back in 2010. The annual festival provides a platform for filmmakers as they share stories of forests worldwide. The theme for the 2023 edition is “Living Forests, Thriving Future” and aims to highlight the beauty and rich biodiversity of forests, the threats they face, and renewal opportunities for forests.
A total of 83 films from filmmakers in 26 countries submitted entries in five categories of short films, with “Tam Mỹ Tây” among the top 10 films.
The judging panel also selected “Tam Mỹ Tây” to compete at the 2023 IFF Ekotopfilm – Envirofilm, which will be held in Slovakia this September, to honour outstanding documentary films related to the natural world and sustainability.
