Cast & crew

Refugees of the Forest

Name: Refugees of the Forest
Genre: Documentary, Adventure, Biography
Duration: 1 h 22 min
Cast: Dana Vion

1h 22m

Refugees of the Forest opens with a rescue of a tiny baby chimpanzee orphan, who was found for sale in a market in Cameroon. His mother had been illegally killed for meat. His name is Milou and he is about to become the main character in Refugees of the Forest. We go on to see Milou grow and heal physically and emotionally from his trauma, and then follow-up on him one year later. Filmmaker Dana Vion began shooting Refugees of the Forest in 2008, and has been back 3 times for a total of almost 7 months. This is no David Attenborough style third person narrative. The story is told in a first person point of view narrative that takes the audience on an incredible journey into the heart of equatorial Africa, to live and work with wild born chimpanzees. We also meet other characters: Arvid, who was stricken with meningitis and is now paralyzed; Tilly, a chimpanzee of incredible kindness and creativity; Baati, a sweet but insecure young male, trying to find his place in the group. This film takes the audience on a journey marked by humor, adventure, discovery, sadness and hope. Refugees of the Forest gives us an intimate and unique look into the lives of individual chimpanzees as they learn, grow, heal and form bonds with other chimpanzees and human caregivers.

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Documentary Adventure Biography

Refugees of the Forest takes the audience deep into the forests of Cameroon where a group of seventy orphan chimpanzees are living in a sanctuary. They all have one thing in common: their mo... Read allRefugees of the Forest takes the audience deep into the forests of Cameroon where a group of seventy orphan chimpanzees are living in a sanctuary. They all have one thing in common: their mothers were illegally killed for bushmeat. Join filmmaker Dana Vion as she returns 3 times ... Read allRefugees of the Forest takes the audience deep into the forests of Cameroon where a group of seventy orphan chimpanzees are living in a sanctuary. They all have one thing in common: their mothers were illegally killed for bushmeat. Join filmmaker Dana Vion as she returns 3 times over 4 years for a total of 7 months, documenting the lives of Baati, Milou, Arvid, and fr... Read all