ORF-Interspot presentation a joy, but sad to learn of lions' fate

Nils Klingohr, Managing Director, Interspot, (from left), Franz Fuchs, Commissioning Editor, ORF Universum; Dr. Heinrich Mayer-Moroni, Managing Director and Executive Producer, Interspot; Andrew Solomon, Executive Producer, ORF; Lee Gluckman, Chairman, US International Film & Video Festival; Johannes Ratheiser (back) Music Composer;  Roman Landauer, Senior Finance Manager, ORF; Roman Kariolou, Music Composer, and Dr. Alexander Wrabetz, Director General, ORF

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Mayer-Moroni of Interspot (left) and

Solomon of ORF are hands-on with statues

      Lee Gluckman traveled to Vienna the week of Aug. 27 to present awards for "Vanishing Kings - Lions of the Namib,"  done by Interspot Film GmbH, Vienna for ORF, the national public service broadcaster based in Vienna. The film features wildlife filmmakers Will and Lianne Steenkamp, and Dr. Flip Stander’s Desert Lion Conservation project. It followed the lives of five young male lions trying to survive and help repopulate a dwindling group of lions in the Namibian desert.

“It was a great honor for me to present both the Best of Festival / Grand Prix Award in Documentary Productions and the Gold Camera Award (First Place) with special focus on the Music track for: "Vanishing Kings - Lions of the Namib" to ORF and Heinrich Mayer of Interspot Films," said Lee Gluckman. "I was saddened, however, to learn that since the film was made four of the young males have died because of confrontations with the human population."

“Such quality programs are crucial to expanding the public's knowledge of the strain on nature, and  I am grateful for ORF's ongoing commitment to produce such stories," he added.

Gluckman also presented a Certificate for Creative Excellence to Interspot's “Africa’s Wild West – Stallions of the Namib Desert” film. The horses are descendants of  German and South African war-horses brought in 1918, and when no longer needed, were released into the burning Namibian desert. The animals spend most of their time in search of water. 

Dr. Heinrich Mayer-Moroni, Managing Director, Interspot Film GmbH, and executive producer on the film, expressed pride in having won the “Best of Festival” Award from "your prestigious festival."

You can learn more information about the lion project and their fate from the Steenkamps' blog posting at http://blog.arkive.org/2016/08/guest-blog-will-lianne-steenkamp and at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/wildlife-namibia-desert-lions-poisoned/

Visit www.filmfestawards.com for full winner information.