Wild Boar Hunt

Africa. In the wild expanses, where bush-bucks, impalas, zebras, gnus and other creatures graze by the thousands, they are on holiday. German and Austrian hunting tourists drive through the bush, lie in wait, stalk their prey. They shoot, sob with excitement and pose before the animals they have bagged. A vacation movie about killing, a movie about human nature.

Duck archery is not the same as duck hunting. This is a Pordenone moment I will never forget – in actuality short Distraction et Sport à Batavia (1909), the residents of what is now call Jakarta make the most of their leisure time by pursuing a variety of mostly healthy exploits. But really, I can see no justification, nor explanation for why a round of archery needs to be enlivened by affixing live poultry to the target. As my good man Peter tweeted at the time: “One right in the neck, yeesh.” Sensitive viewers should be aware that animal cruelty abounds in silent cinema – the most notable, and egregious, example is Edison’s notorious Electrocuting an Elephant. The most poignant fictional example is perhaps the poor horse in Eisenstein’s October. (from http://silentlondon.co.uk/2015/01/23/10-disgusting-moments-in-silent-cinema/)

For the Frigons, hunting is a family affair that forges and solidifies the bonds between generations. For many autumns, Louis-Henri has been tracking moose alongside Sasha, his grandson. On the other hand, at the dawn of his 81st birthday, old age reminds him that his career as a hunter is behind him. This year, Louis-Henri will not go hunting and Sasha will go without him for the first time. Goodbye, Hunter offers an intimate look at the moment of the passing of a long family tradition.

This grisly documentary presents horrifying journalistic footage of suicides, assassinations, bombings, mob hits, decapitations, and more in bloody detail. Not for the faint of heart.

Nisa Ward’s film seeks to expose the hidden realities of hunting – via footage of hunters’ aggressive interactions with hunt monitors and their effect on other inhabitants of the countryside – and show what a repeal of the ban would mean.

Etthén Heldeli: Caribou Eaters travels with Déné First Nations people in Canada’s north, as they search for the species so vital to every aspect of their lives – the barren-ground caribou. The documentary is a celebration of their rich ancient culture, and a visual document lamenting their traditions that could vanish, if the caribou disappear.

My Deer Hunter is the meeting of Alain, man of the nature and passionate of hunting with the deer, at the moment where the nervousness of the first days of hunting settles down. It's a family reunion, a return to the source in the lands of Témiscouata.

Young ecologist demonstraters travel to the countryside to confront hunters. But one of them is willing to do anything to stop them.

The imminent extinction of the vaquita porpoise and the totoaba, two species endemic to Baja California and sought after by the mafia for their swim bladders, which are highly prized in the East; victims of illegal fishing nets and in danger of extinction.

Shark: Beneath the Surface

For centuries, wild boars were hunted to near extinction. But today, thanks to their resilience and smarts, their numbers are increasing across Europe.

From the imposing mating call of the red deer and the flight of the buzzard to the hunt of the fox and the micro-ecosystem on a massive oak: nature documentarist Luc Enting recorded it all for his stunning feature film Wild Heart of Holland, produced by PVPictures. The result of his efforts is an exciting, moving and often humorous film, revealing the beauty and diversity of this wild park in every season. We also watch the main characters grow up to adulthood, a path inevitably dogged with challenges. Enting: “To me, this park, in any season, has an almost un-Dutch beauty. It is the largest continuous nature reserve in northwest Europe with an incredible variety of landscapes and life. It has forests, heath, sand drifts, brooks and pushed moraines. With my film, I would like to give a new insight into its incredibly diverse nature.”

In this feature-length documentary, three generations of the Caribou Inuit family come together to tell the story of their journey as Canada's last nomads. From the independent life of hunting on the Keewatin tundra to taking the reins of the new territory of Nunavut on April 1, 1999, we see it all. The film is the result of a close collaboration between Ole Gjerstad, a southern Canadian, and Martin Kreelak, an Inuk. It's Martin's family that we follow, as the story is told through his own voice, through those of the Elders, and through those of the teens and young adults who were born in the settlements and form the first generation of those growing up with satellite TV and a permanent home.

Mr. Burbridge's party slew three giant gorillas, one weighing something like 450 pounds. Two of these were sent to the Belgian Government and one to the Smithsonian Institution. The explorer also brought away with him three young gorillas, one of which weighed 125 pounds and put up a good battle before he surrendered. Mr. Burbridge shows some amusing scenes with these animals, one of them being that of a young gorilla who insists on getting tangled up in a drum of film. (cont. http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B04E5D7143CEE3ABC4C52DFB467838D639EDE)

In 2015 a lion in Zimbabwe named Cecil was killed by Walter Palmer, an American dentist, provoking a global outcry. The story of Cecil’s death turns the gaze back on to us and our behaviour. The simplicity of the outrage is a stark contrast to the complexity of the reality.

Les Rossignols

Donnie Vincent's The River's Divide is a full-length documentary film featuring Donnie Vincent's bowhunting journey into the Badlands of North Dakota, chasing a whitetail deer known as Steve.

Bloodhound dog handlers have an essential role in Québec’s hunting ecosystem. Thanks to them, a large number of wounded and lost animals are found during hunting season. They are an important resource for wildlife protection and management. This short film meets one of them, Yves Martineau, and follows the long waits and intense research that comes with the job. In the heart of the Canadian forest, on Matane’s wildlife reserve, we follow this man and his dogs through the vastness of the woods.

Etienne-Jules Marey, a French inventor who turned a gun into a camera. A hand-drawn hunter whose weapon, instead of firing ammunition, shoots photographs. Carlos, a Mexican wildlife photographer who used to be a real life hunter until he chose to get rid of all his guns. All come together in this poetic yet approachable animated documentary short film.

It has been seven years since I have had a new movie; not since 2005 when I filmed Death Rush. In between I produced two excellent movies, “Greatest Hippo Charges” and “Greatest Buffalo Hunts” which were composites of previously viewed footage. In Use Enough Death…all of the footage is brand new!