Kenya, known for its breathtaking vistas and Africa’s Big Five (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo), has lost roughly 70% of its wildlife population since 1970. This film was created to showcase The Nature Conservancy's Enduring Earth Kenya project, an ambitious initiative that works with local communities to mobilize ambition, resources, and permanent funding for nations to tackle the world's biodiversity and climate crises.
The film had a number of key goals:
To showcase successful community conservation in Kenya, bringing attention to the important relationship between wildlife and local communities, and lifting up the incredible work of TNC’s partners.
To be used in the development and announcement of the Enduring Earth Kenya project.
To assist in bolstering partnerships with global change agents and donors, helping show what lasting conservation at scale could look like, not only in Africa but across the world.
To celebrate and serve the community, providing a visual way for community members and partners to show the issues they face and the solutions they are working on.
The video also needed to feel native on many digital platforms, including TNC’s website, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YT Shorts. Outside of the digital landscape, the film would be a vital tool for TNC to use in conversation and private meetings with government ministries, conservation partners, and donors.
This project started with an internal release to our donor relations team, who shared the film with principal donors – key partners in our conservation work. The film will be debuting in September to help elevate the Enduring Earth Kenya initiative, supported by a multi-channel distribution strategy: a dedicated webpage, an in-depth article, and social cutdowns to maximize reach and engagement.
We are committed to a collaborative, participant-led storytelling approach, grounded in our core values of Trust, Respect, Authenticity, and Reciprocity. Our vision was to create a film that feels deeply personal while advancing a global conservation message. To do this, we employ a hybrid documentary style, blending cinéma vérité with planned production techniques. The narrative combines scripted voiceover, intentional b-roll, and authentic, unscripted moments to create a story that is both polished and real.
Central to this approach, and with the help of TNC Kenya and local partners, we identified a compelling protagonist: Domtilah, the youngest female ranger in Kenya’s biodiversity-rich Tsavo landscape. Her passion for conservation and her trailblazing role made her the perfect voice for this story.
To build trust and authenticity in the film, we began with meet and greets to know one another and pre-interviews months before production, engaging in in-depth conversations with Domtilah. These calls spanned multiple time zones and countries. We then collaboratively crafted a script that reflects Domtilah’s lived experiences and aspirations for the future of conservation.
Creatively, the film pushes boundaries for conservation storytelling. It incorporates flashback recreations, breaking the fourth wall, and VFX, to immerse viewers in Domtilah’s world. This ambition came with challenges: balancing spontaneity with planned shots, coordinating family members for flashback scenes, and navigating the unpredictability of filming in a landscape where human-wildlife conflict is a constant reality.
In post-production, we conducted A/B testing to refine the opening sequence for maximum impact with key audiences. The film strikes a tone that is warm, intimate, and optimistic, celebrating community-led conservation efforts while honestly addressing challenges like human-wildlife conflict.
Closeup wildlife shots elevate fauna as characters in their own right, reinforcing the interconnectedness of people and nature.
Ultimately, this film positions Kenya as a torchbearer for global conservation, showing how collaborative, community-driven solutions can transform landscapes and lives across Africa, and the world. Through Domtilah’s story, we invite viewers to be a part of conservation that benefits people and nature.
This film has proven to be a powerful tool for awareness, impact, and fundraising - successfully meeting the goals we set out to achieve.
It has deeply resonated with viewers. At an in-person screening, many conservation professionals responded with visible emotion, moved by the story and its portrayal of community-led conservation. The film’s authenticity and visual storytelling helped audiences connect with the urgency and hope embedded in the work.
Since its release, the video has been used by over a hundred fundraisers across The Nature Conservancy to support their efforts. It has played a central role in the development and announcement of the Enduring Earth Kenya project, helping to communicate the vision and scale of the initiative.
The film will also be used to strengthen partnerships with government ministries and conservation organizations, serving as a visual anchor in meetings and presentations.
Its adaptability across platforms – from YouTube to private donor conversations – has made it a versatile and effective communication tool.
We view the film as a success not only because of its reach and utility, but because it reflects the future of conservation: young, female, community-led, ambitious, and inclusive. Domtilah’s story is at the heart of this vision, and we’re proud to help share her message with the world.
