Black Mambas

  • Lena Karbe
  • Germany, France
  • 2022
  • 81 min
  • Dutch Premiere
  • Best of Fests

A contemplative, patiently crafted portrait of three members of the Black Mambas, an ambitious group of South African women who protect Big Five game animals from poachers in Kruger National Park. It’s a dream job that empowers women, or so it seems. But does the organization—run by white and mostly male compatriots—see them primarily as a marketing tool?

While the founder of the Black Mambas extols the virtues of tourism and the economic impulse it provides, his female employees know from experience that neighboring communities don’t benefit. When we see them at home, we find out that the men in their families can’t find jobs, meaning huge pressures fall on the women’s shoulders.

Little by little this film, which won awards at CPH:DOX and other festivals, presents a complex picture of the shady side of nature conservation. Besides the three women, who each have a different perspective on their position, we also hear from a man driven to poaching by hunger. In between, the founder perfectly encapsulates the ambivalence of his organization with the observation that Kruger Park is the last bastion of old colonial attitudes.

Credits

  • 81 min
  • color
  • DCP
  • Spoken languages: English, Afrikaans, Tsonga
  • Subtitles in: English
Director
Lena Karbe
Production
Lena Karbe for Karbe Film GmbH, Jan Vasak for Day for Night Productions, Ramadan Suleman for Natives At Large
Cinematography
Mateusz Smolka
Editing
Georg Michael Fischer
Sound
George Ramosime

IDFA history

Share this film

Print this page

IDFA history

This website uses cookies.

By using cookies we can measure how our site is used, how it can be further improved and to personalize the content of online advertisements.

Read
 here everything about our cookie policy. If you choose to decline, we only place functional and analytical cookies