We’re excited about all the positive feedback we’ve received about our new videos! If you haven’t seen them yet, please click here and here to view. Thanks again to Disney Conservation Fund for supporting the project. We thought it would be fun to capture a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the films, so we asked David Rochkind, Creative Director of Ground Media and producer of the GRACE films, for some insight. Here’s what he said:

“Throughout my career I’ve had the fortune to travel to some of the most magical places in the world, and spending time at GRACE was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had.

“I grew up in a small suburb outside of Detroit, Michigan right next to the city’s zoo. The visits I made to the zoo helped instill in me a gratitude and wonder of our natural world that persist to this day. At GRACE, it was amazing to watch the group of gorillas living together and interacting as any family (including humans) would interact…playing, fighting and, ultimately, taking care of each other. I’ll remember for the rest of my life what it felt like to observe Amani. It was clear that she was wondering about me just as much as I was wondering about her. The experience gave me a new appreciation for wildlife and our responsibility to work towards protecting all that we have.

“We made these films as a team. I traveled to GRACE with Kohl Threlkeld and Jon Bougher, and we collaborated throughout the process. From the moment we left our homes in Washington, DC, we rode in three cars and flew in three planes setting foot in four countries before finally arriving to GRACE. It took four days to get to the remote location near Tayna Nature Reserve, and the three of us were carrying over 500lbs of camera equipment and supplies. After we managed to get all of our equipment, including a small drone camera, through customs at the Rwanda/DRC border, we settled into a beautiful car ride. From twisting through amazing, green mountain passes to crossing the equator, we enjoyed every second of it.

“We arrived to GRACE after nightfall when everything was dark, so the first things I noticed were the sounds. As I went to sleep that first night in a comfortable tent, I heard sounds I could barely place. It was like I was hearing them for the first time. I heard wind and birds. I heard footsteps in the distance of staff rustling about. I heard silence. But, most incredibly, I heard the faint sounds of the GRACE gorillas communicating as they settled in for the night.

“We were at GRACE for only seven days, so there was a lot to pack into a short time period. Most mornings we woke up with the sun or just before, some days to scout locations and some to capture footage just as the sun was peaking out from behind the mountains. Our typical day involved 12-14 hours of work, including filming, traveling, interviewing, scouting for locations and downloading footage at the end of the day. So much other than filming goes into making videos like these – even just talking to people as much as possible to better understand the project.

“One filming highlight was capturing aerial footage. We wanted to show people the vast forest landscape around GRACE. We thought it was important to give people who are not familiar with DRC or Africa a sense of place and environment. We also wanted to emphasize that GRACE occupies a small footprint within a vast natural landscape, and that the gorillas have access to a wild 24-acre forest enclosure. To do this, we brought a small drone with us and flew it around six times while we were there. I think it’s some of the most amazing footage we’ve ever captured.

“While working on the films, we knew that we had to find GRACE’s heartbeat. We had to discover the passion that pushes the project forward. We discovered that the inspiration lives outside the center’s walls – it’s based in the community members that encourage and support the efforts to bring Grauer’s gorillas back from the brink of extinction. It was an inspiring and unexpected story to tell. It was a story of hope for people and animals alike.

“We met with community members who talked about the importance of the gorillas to their ancestors and to the story of who they are as a people. The gorillas seemed to represent the health and vitality of the community, and to see the gorilla population decline was akin to seeing an intrinsic part of the community disappear. To lose a gorilla isn’t simply losing an animal, it’s seeing a part of their history fade away. Likewise, fighting to save the gorillas is tantamount to fighting for their own future and promise. In that way, the work GRACE is doing empowers the community to work towards improving their future.

“And that point is important because it speaks to the fact that the work GRACE is doing has an enormous impact that reaches far beyond the 14 orphaned gorillas that they are currently rehabilitating. GRACE is a necessary megaphone for the general issue of conservation in central Africa and for the struggle to protect Grauer’s gorillas. Most importantly, GRACE is an example of how success in development and conservation can only come when there are empowered local communities that are driving the process.”

GORILLA REHABILITATION AND CONSERVATION EDUCATION (GRACE) CENTER – Founded in 2009 by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International in collaboration with the Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) and Tayna Center for Conservation Biology, GRACE is the only facility in the world dedicated to providing in situ rehabilitative care for orphaned Grauer’s gorillas and ultimately aims to reintroduce gorillas back into the wild. GRACE also works alongside local communities, through education and other outreach programs, to help ensure the long-term survival of wild gorilla populations. Other major partners for this project include Disney and the Houston, Dallas, Nashville, Detroit, Jacksonville, and Utah’s Hogle Zoos. For more information about GRACE, please visit gracegorillas.org. If you would like to help, please visit: https://gracegorillas.org/how-to-help/