Last month, I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to travel to the heart of Tuscany to attend the Capalbio Film Festival (https://www.fondazionecapalbio.it/22-settembre-2024). Now in its third year, the festival brings together film-makers, actors, activists and film-lovers from all around Italy and beyond to this otherwise sleepy corner of the country. Films from many genres were showcased, including the animated film, Ozi: Voice of the Forest (https://ozivoiceoftheforest.com/), produced by Leonardo diCaprio and Mike Medavoy.

In the film, Ozi is an orphan orangutan who uses her influencer skills to save her forest and home from deforestation. I was invited especially to view the film and to share my reflections on it and what needs to be done to save orangutans and rainforest in a panel on “One Health” which followed.
The screening of Ozi was attended by people of all ages in the quaint Capalbio Cinema. Shown with Italian voice-overs, I struggled at times to understand 100% of the language, but the imagery allowed for clear comprehension of the tale. The film opens with an orangutan family living harmoniously in a lush rainforest and little Ozi is captivated by everything she sees around her. She frolics and plays and learns under the watchful, loving eyes of her parents. Not long into the film, things change abruptly, when a fire erupts and the bulldozers come in, and Ozi becomes separated from her parents. Reminscent of the film Bambi, this long and thunderous scene was absolutely terrifying. It brought me right back to the dry seasons in Indonesia (in 1998 and 2015 especially), when so much of Borneo was ablaze and I joined orangutan rescue and fire-fighting teams on the frontline of the destruction.
In the film, Ozi is rescued by a kind lady who runs a wildlife rescue project. The facility is not unlike the orangutan rehabilitation project set up by Orangutan Land Trust President, Lone Droscher-Nielsen, in Central Kalimantan in 1998. Ozi and other baby orangutans sleep in laundry baskets and hammocks and in the day time play and learn in a forest school setting. There, she learns sign language and one of the team creates a device that translates her signs into spoken words. As the story evolves, she receives a gift of a tablet, learns that her parents are still alive, and goes out in search of them. She broadcasts updates to the world via her tablet as she discovers what is happening to the rainforest outside the safety of her rescue centre home. These videos soon go viral and Ozi becomes an influencer, alerting the world to the desctruction. In the end, the attention causes the palm oil company that has been bulldozing forest to stop clearing and become sustainable.

Many aspects of the film and its storyline resounded with me. From the horrifying destruction that has taken place in orangutan habitat, to the traumatised orphaned orangutans as a result, and the hope for a future for them thanks to orangutan rescue and rehabilitation projects. The film shows us that social media can be used as a tool for good - to inform and educate people and to call out errant companies that destroy the planet. And the film ends with a note of optimism: companies can change and sustainability is the way to go.
However, the film lacked a lot of the nuance that is needed in the telling of the real story of palm oil, deforestation, orangutans and sustainability. Perhaps this is due to limitations presented by intended audience, time constraints, and the need to entertain.
It presented an anonymous palm oil company as a big evil enemy, which could send the message to film-goers that all palm oil companies are evil. It’s not clear what entirely compelled the fictitious company to stop the bulldozers; was it simply fear of lost business due to the condemnation unleashed on social media, or did they really see the error in their ways? The film closes with a comment along the lines of “well, the company says they are going to become sustainable, but we have to wait and see if that really happens.” I would have really appreciated if a few more minutes could have been added in the film to say “…and 5 years later, indeed, this company and many more have become sustainable and this means less deforestation and more space for orangutans to roam freely!”
In the “One Health” panel which followed the screening as well as through some interviews I gave, I was given the chance to elaborate further on these thoughts. I explained that indeed palm oil expansion has been catastrophic for orangutans and their forest home. But I was also able to share the positive changes I have seen (and been a part of) in the 30 years since I started working in orangutan conservation. Campaigns by NGOs like Orangutan Land Trust have not only raised awareness of these issues, but have motivated supporters to make choices that make a difference, like choosing sustainable palm oil. Social media can be used both as a carrot and a stick to compel companies along the supply chain to commit to sustainable practices. Our engagement with stakeholders both directly and via platforms such as RSPO, Sustainable Palm Oil Choice and Unione Italiana per l'Olio di Palma Sostenibile has lead to tangible results on the ground, where it matters most.
I sincerely hope that the movie Ozi: Voice of the Forest does raise awareness, and that viewers will take the time to explore further what can be done, what IS being done, and how they can be part of the change for good.
See our official joint statement with Chester Zoo,Sumatran Orangutan Society, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), Borneo Futures and Hutan in response to the film: https://www.orangutanlandtrust.com/post/in-support-of-sustainable-palm-oil-experts-respond-to-ozi-voice-of-the-forest
by Michelle Desilets, Executive Director
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