Banner photo: Allison Carden Hanes filming an interview with Filemon Sagulu in an abandoned church in the north of Siberut, Mentawai Islands, Indonesia (Filipina woman filming Indigenous Asian man in church)

“Through art and filmmaking anything is possible.”

Previously, Anne spoke with Tatyana Humle and Ssali Ogwal on local primate conservation efforts. This week, we will take a look at using art to tell the stories of primate conservation and it can be used to bring local conservation efforts to people around the globe.

Allison Carden Hanes is a well-rounded scientist with a wealth of knowledge across multiple interdisciplinary fields from veterinary medicine to Indigenous knowledge to primate conservation to documentary filmmaking. She discovered a passion for mixing science and art and filmmaking during a trip working with communities near the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Today, she is the founder of One Health Productions and makes unique and thoughtful films that connect and inspire others to appreciate and conserve wildlife around the globe. As a foreigner, listening to and prioritizing local communities and initiatives through this process is her highest priority. 

“Art in all forms is a powerful and necessary tool to aid science and conservation.”

Anne: Tell me about your background and what inspired you to film One Health stories?

Allison: I have studied a great number of scientific disciplines from marine mammal acoustics and cognition at the Schusterman Pinniped Cognition and Sensory Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Cruz to critical care and emergency veterinary medicine at a speciality and teaching veterinary hospital in downtown Manhattan. I did not start telling stories until after my Master’s degree. I was recruited to an arts and conservation project in Rwanda focused on one health education and creative learning centered around mountain gorillas conservation. I wanted to document seven years of work in the region before we moved to a different continent. I brought my camera to Rwanda and interviewed the staff and community. That is where I made my first film, “What is Art and Conservation?” That was the beginning of a more creative journey in my career. At the time, I thought I was only a “science person”. As an Executive Director I had a lot of freedom and started seeing more doors open and my mind with regards to mixing science and art. It took me a long time to be comfortable with the title filmmaker and I still struggle to identify as an artist. What I can say is that I am certainly a mix, someone that loves to combine many disciplines and I think there can be a lot to gain by thinking outside the box or one discipline, not only when achieving a product but also in one’s entire process. Following my work in Rwanda, I continued to work in nonprofits and have been a veterinary technician for over a decade. Since I was a small child I knew I didn’t want to be a veterinarian but wanted to work with animals. I thought being a veterinarian was not very original and I was tired of people telling me that would be my profession. I remember being quite adamant I would never be a veterinarian. I was interested in the health of all beings. I didn’t feel I belonged with professionals that only cared for animals or professionals that only cared for people and I had a deep appreciation for nature. I felt that representing the voiceless or marginalized would be the best course of action and I wanted to go back to university. At this time I began hearing for the first time a term called One Health or Conservation Medicine in New York City. No one knew what this was and there was no Master’s program in this field of study at the time. That led me to customize my own Master’s of Science at Oxford Brookes University. I was fascinated in the relationship between humans and animals, particularly primates in everything from conflict crop raiding to disease transmission. Storytelling was a much later in life career move to reach people. I moved in that direction as a tool coupled with my love for photography that allowed me to use film and tell stories. I quickly learned in the film world, the strongest filmmakers tell stories they know. I used my incredible network and connections in primatology and conservation to help formulate and create film ideas and content. It wasn’t until after my work with nonprofits that I started directing. Science communication was criticized often and I felt inundated with remarkable stories and colleagues that were getting no attention outside their small corner of the world. I felt there was a glaring gap that needed to be filled as well as the similar stories being told over and over again. I hope to tell different stories in a different way. My commitment to animals, humans and nature as well as my experiences and studies guided the content I began creating. 

Anne: You work with many partners, such as those with staff previously interviewed; Conservation Through Public Health and Re:wild, to tell stories on wildlife trekking for tourism. What is something you have learned from promoting sustainable tourism in relation to One Health?

Allison: A lot of what I learned is that we have to present the information and knowledge and make it easily accessible. If it’s not there, people often do not know better. Even if they have really good intentions, people make mistakes, such as taking off their mask in the presence of mountain gorillas. Gorillas are very curious and it is difficult to keep their distance. The guides and the tourists have to predict their behavior and keep everyone away. Proximity has always been very tricky because people and even gorillas want to get close. We are curious primates looking for connections. As the more dominant species we have to take extra precautions to make sure distance is maintained. As of August 2023 there are an estimated 1063 mountain gorillas living in the wild and disease is arguably their largest threat. When numbers of wild species are that low, I believe as humans we have to adjust our behavior accordingly. It’s better to have all the information there as a baseline so for our Gorilla Trekking Film, Uganda project we aimed for the shorts to be educational foremost while trying to captivate and move them at the same time. 

Allison Carden Hanes directing with Director of Photography Yi Zheng in a Lisu home in Yunnan, China February 25th 2024 (Asian man standing next to Filipina woman)

Anne: What challenges do you come across when communicating the connection between animal, human and environmental health to others?

Allison: One Health stemmed from the veterinary world, professionals trying to bridge veterinary and human medicine. Many medical doctors have no idea what is happening in some parts of the world for example with regards to habitat loss or climate change. They are highly focused and disciplined having dedicated a great portion of their life to studying medicine and their specialties. I also have colleagues that are hyperfocused on protecting one single species or discovering new species. Everyone is making an incredible and admirable contribution, however, I wonder just like nonprofit organizations, what if there was significantly more collaboration and communication? I think it would be extraordinary, however, all that requires fundraising and will take time. I am certain my colleagues are working on this and I hope to be of more help.

Allison Carden Hanes and Denis Toolit at the Gorilla Nest, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Kampala Uganda (front and center shot of tall African man and Filipina woman looking straight into camera)

Anne: Is there any piece of information you feel is missing in the intersection of conservation storytelling and filmmaking?

Allison: There are an incredible number of scientists and filmmakers worldwide and more specifically right here in New York City. The amount of brilliant filmmakers I meet on a daily basis is at times overwhelming and the stories I would love to pitch countless. I have to prioritize them simply by what would have the greatest chance of being funded. I’ve fundraised in nonprofits for many years. Fundraising for art, for a concept, idea and vision you have, that’s a whole other beast. I am nearly speechless in my gratitude to those who have supported me with great risk and faith. It’s not common for someone to donate to an experimental multimedia project on singing gibbons and ancient folklore spanning multiple countries. As I have embarked on this journey I continue to value filmmakers, storytellers and artists more than ever. People not only need information but they need to be informed in creative ways and moved. There is a need for conservation inspiration. 

Anne: Your current project, The Great Call, involves documenting gibbon song in the Bornean, Mentawai and Yunnan rainforests. Is there anything else you can tell us about The Great Call and how it is different from your previous work?

Allison: Most of my films have generally been providing information to an audience. The Great Call is different. I see it as a piece of art and that my vision holds true on screen. 

It is my aim to use the gibbon as an ambassador to connect people with song transporting them to the rainforest canopies. It is not only a tribute to gibbons and their extraordinary habitats but a tribute to people living amongst gibbons and their ancient cultures that highlight their unique relationships to gibbons. It is my first attempt at “art” and delivering an experience to a viewer, at least that is my intention. 

The Great Call multimedia project (feature film, XR short film and immersive exhibit) aims to:

1. Use gibbons to connect people with nature through music and visuals
2. Showcase the beauty of rainforests
3. Honor cultures, storytelling and folklore of people living with and near gibbons

And I still plan for an extended reality (XR) short film and an immersive exhibit upon completion of The Great Call multimedia project. The musically talented gibbons and people I’ve worked with deserve to be celebrated in a unique way as unique as they are. I hope very much to celebrate my primate characters and culture in a way that reflects their beautiful lives and existence. It is a great honor and privilege to do this work and I hope it will help people around the world feel connected to our amazing and musical relatives!

Anne: For those interested in conservation storytelling or communication through film or other means, what piece of advice can you give them?

Allison: It’s a very difficult field with very limited funding. If you are able to get the funding, often the hardest part, you will figure it out, moile moile (slowly slowly in Mentawai language). You will have to work hard and make many sacrifices. Please remain honest and treat everyone and animals with respect. Be responsible and ethical. Ask questions of locals and your partners. Listen. There are countless brilliant films and filmmakers as well as conservationists, journalists and researchers but we must examine our ethics through every step of the process. Locals and the animals must always come first. Be genuine, honest and have good intentions. Your film will affect lives throughout the entire process. Filmmaking like conservation is not a means to an end. I hope for a more holistic One Health approach that encompasses these values and principles for all parties involved. Also, make sure to rest, take care of yourself and ask for help. All of this work is a marathon and cannot be done alone so lean on your supporters and community, and help one another. 

Thanks for the interest in my work and taking the time to interview me! Alli

Thank you, Allison, for taking the time to share your experience with us. If you are interested in learning more about Allison’s work, see the websites below:

Allison’s personal website: www.allisonhanes.org

One Health Productions: www.onehealthproductions.com