Curiosity Begins Production on New Serengeti Doc ‘Kuishi Na Simba’ from Female African Filmmaker Duo

The Curiosity Original Film is Due to Premiere in 2023

March 31, 2022 (Silver Spring, Md.) – Curiosity, the leading global factual streaming service and media company (NASDAQ: CURI), today announced the new Curiosity original documentary Kuishi na Simba—Living With Lions. The film is a collaboration between Tanzanian filmmaker, cinematographer, and conservationist Erica Rugabandana and South African writer and director Muneera Sallies. Production is underway now with a premiere targeted for 2023.

Most of the stories we know about the Serengeti have been told through the lens, prism, and experience of white, male filmmakers, novelists, and creators. Living With Lions institutes a new tradition, presenting this world-famous wildlife sanctum from an African perspective. These two female voices shine an inimitable light on the Serengeti from the inside. The film tells the story of a struggle between a lion pride and the Rugari family. Two sister lionesses Ketty and Lucia, desperate to feed their cubs begin stalking the family’s goats. The patriarch, Omosoka, wants to poison the pride who are threatening his livelihood, while his daughter Nyanji will do everything in her power to save the lions. The ensuing story proves both heartbreaking and triumphant.

The filmmaking team of Erica and Muneera take the reins of this timeless tale as shooting began in the Serengeti just in time for Women’s History Month. The film is a follow-on to the Curiosity original series Nature Through Her Eyes, which premiered on International Women’s Day 2021. The series featured some of the world’s greatest female cinematographers and photographers, including Erica, and their unique and dazzling perspectives on the natural world.  Both Living With Lions and Nature Through Her eyes are produced in partnership with Ouragan Films.

Kuishi na Simba is co-produced for Curiosity Stream by Siima Media, Tanzania; Red Nature Films in South Africa and Ouragan Films in partnership with RED Digital Cinema and the Wildlife Society of Filmmakers, the VII Academy, and with support from Wildstar Films and NEWF.

Regarding the launch of production, Curiosity Inc. Vice President of Original Content, Development, and Programming Jorge Franzini commented, “One of the things that we are most proud of at Curiosity is our ability to work with and amplify the voices of talented up-and-coming international filmmakers. We are a global service, and who better to tell these stories than the people who live through them? Erica and Muneera are a shining example of two filmmakers who have a very bright future, and we are grateful that we can share their story with the world.”

Filmmaker Erica Rugabandana added: “As a conservationist and cinematographer, I am excited to tell a powerful story which I hope will bring home the importance of wildlife conservation in Tanzania. Lions play a crucial role in the Serengeti ecosystem, but peoples’ livelihoods matter too. In the Serengeti and in many parts of Tanzania, human and animal interests collide. There is no easy solution to human-wildlife conflict, we must all join hands. I want to show what is at stake in Living with Lions.”

The film will be shot entirely in 4K on the RED Gemini camera.  South African Amy-Marie Pienaar will be shooting the film’s aerial cinematography.

Stay tuned for more news about Kuishi na Simba soon.

Copy Text