UNITED NATIONS FORESTS FOR PEOPLE AWARDS
Heroes
Short Films
Photographs
UNITED NATIONS FORESTS FOR PEOPLE AWARDS
CONTENTS
page
Foreword .…………….……………….…………...….……………….……………… 1
FOREST HEROES .………………………………………………………………..……. 2
INTERNATIONAL FOREST SHORT FILM FESTIVAL .………………..……. 8
INTERNATIONAL FOREST PHOTOGRAPH AWARD .……………..……. 14
AWARDS JURY .…………………………………………..…………………....……. 21
MAP: Almost 600 entries from 68 countries competed for the Awards
FOREWORD
In 2011, the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat
launched the first-ever Forest Heroes Awards and Forest Film
Festival in celebration of the International Year of Forests. The
resounding success of this advocacy effort was the inspiration for
the 2012/2013 UN Forest for People Awards.
The Awards have 3 categories – Forest Heroes, the International
Forest Short Film Festival and the International Forest Photograph
Awards. Each Award focuses on the dynamic and unique
relationship between forests and the people who depend on them.
Almost 600 entries and nominations from 68 countries have
competed to win these prestigious Awards. Each entry shares a
unique story of how forests inspire and contribute to our lives. An
international jury, consisting of lauded practitioners and experts, for
each of the 3 Award categories has been established.
It is my pleasure to introduce you to the winners – these amazing
individuals who make a difference for our forests, our trees and our
communities.
Jan L. McAlpine
Director
United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat
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FOREST HEROES
All over the world people are working in quiet and heroic ways to
sustain, protect and manage our forests. The Forest Hero Award
celebrates these “unsung” heroes who inspire positive change for
forests. We received 47 nominations from 30 countries. The highest
number of nominations are from: India, Brazil, and USA.
The jury selected 5 regional winners and 3 honourable mentions.
WINNERS, by region for:





AFRICA | Rose Mukankomeje, Rwanda
ASIA & THE PACIFIC | Preecha Siri, Thailand
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARRIBEAN | Almir Narayamoga Surui,
Brazil
EUROPE| Hayrettin Karaca, Turkey
NORTH AMERICA | Ariel Lugo, USA
HONOURABLE MENTIONS, in alphabetical order



Ian Dickenson, Australia
James Ligare, Kenya
Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo, Mexico
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FOREST HERO | AFRICA
ROSE MUKANKOMEJE, RWANDA
Dr. Rose Mukankomeje has
devoted her life to the protection
and restoration of Rwandan
forests. As her nation emerged
from crisis, and in the face of
great personal adversity, Rose
took the initiative to bring
Rwandans together to protect
their natural resources from over exploitation and environmental
degradation.
One of her most successful initiatives is public awareness for
environmental management, through Umuganda -- community work
done once a month. It is a unique home grown solution which
ensures that the growth of forests in Rwanda supports livelihoods
and benefits the rural poor.
Rose also raised attention for the need to protect critical ecosystems
like wetlands by encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable
agricultural techniques. Her work helped to improve the livelihoods
of people without compromising Rwanda’s rare and vulnerable
ecosystems.
As a lasting legacy of Rose's achievements in the field of forestry,
Rwanda’s National Forest Policy won the 2011 Future Policy Award.
Through border-to-border restoration programmes, this policy aims
to heal and restore natural resources, creating the basis for a healthy
and resilient society of the future.
Rose is a biologist by training and in 1992 received her PhD in the
Sciences. She is currently the Director General of the Rwandan
Environment Management Authority (REMA). She has also served as
Member of Parliament (1995-2001); Director General, Science,
Technology & Research, Ministry of Education (2002-03); Vice
Chairperson, Centre for Innovation & Technology Transfer; and Vice
President, Kigali Institute of Education.
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FOREST HERO | ASIA & THE PACIFIC
PREECHA SIRI, THAILAND
Mr. Preecha Siri is a community leader with
a vision for forest management. He is a
source of inspiration for his community in
revitalizing sustainable forest management
systems. He has dedicated his life to
demonstrating his belief that protecting
nature is protecting a way of life.
He believes that rights with responsibilities are inseparable when it
comes to protecting and promoting sustainable resource
management systems and self-sufficient traditional livelihood
practices.
With his guidance, his community has successfully adopted an
integrated system of wet terrace fields, rotational farming,
beekeeping, native tea and bamboo farming along with forest
conservation demonstrating a successful model of ecosystem
management. These innovative income generation plans have
helped to create community funds and build community resilience.
Today, the community manages 3,120 hectares of forestswhere 14
streams originate and 567.52 hectares of agricultural land.
His village is now a learning center for the global community on
sustainable lifestyle, attracting growing numbers of researchers and
visitors every year. A recent milestone studies published is Climate
Change, Trees and Livelihood: A Case Study on the Carbon Footprint
of a Karen Community in Northern Thailand.
Both Preecha and his community have received distinguished
awards. He received the Friendship Award (2009) from the National
Anti-Corruption Commission and the Community Servant Award
(2010) from the Network of Community Organizations.
Preecha was born in 1954 and is a Karen farmer. He did not receive
formal education but gained his wisdom and knowledge from
observation and interaction with the forest.
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FOREST HERO | EUROPE
HAYRETTIN KARACA, TURKEY
Hayrettin Karaca, born in 1922, built a
successful textile business. However,
in the 1970s, as he traveled across
Turkey he became very concerned
about the environmental degradation
that he saw, especially the soil
erosion. Hayrettin realized he could
not remain silent and began to document the situation and warn
authorities and the public about the threats facing Turkey's natural
environment.
In 1980, Hayrettin established an arboretum on his land in Yalova,
which today holds over 14,000 species and subspecies of trees, and
3,800 herbaceous plants and perennials. The Karaca Arboretum has
become the in situ breeding ground of endangered plant species
endemic to Turkey and is open to the public.
In 1992, together with Nihat Gökyiğit, Hayrettin founded the TEMA
Foundation to raise public awareness of environmental problems -specifically soil erosion, deforestation, biodiversity loss and climate
change.
Today TEMA is one Turkey’s leading environmental NGOs with over
460,000 volunteers across the country. TEMA has planted more than
ten million seedlings and launched numerous public campaigns to
influence the practices of government and business on sustainable
rural development, reforestation, biodiversity conservation and
sustainable land management.
Hayrettin, considered the 'grandfather' of the Turkish environmental
movement, has received a number of awards for his work, including
the UNEP 500 in 1992, the Eminent Services Award of the Turkish
Grand National Assembly in 1998 and the Right Livelihood Award in
2012.
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FOREST HERO | LATIN AMERICA & THE CARRIBEAN
ALMIR NARAYAMOGA SURUI, BRAZIL
An environmentalist and political
activist, Almir Narayamoga Surui
caught the eye of tribal elders; at 17
he was elected chief, and is the first
member of the Surui to attend
college. For more than 20 years he
has been fighting to save both his
Paiter-Surui tribe and the Amazon
rainforest.
Almir successfully lobbied the state government to build schools,
wells and medical clinics for the Surui and other tribes in the
rainforest preserves. He spearheaded the creation of a “50-year
plan” to ensure the economic vitality of the Paiter-Surui. The plan
encompasses large-scale conservation efforts, reforestation projects
and activities that offer economic alternatives to exploiting the
forest. Almir convinced the World Bank to re-structure a regional
development program to better benefit local indigenous groups.
Almir’s efforts are credited with almost single-handedly bringing his
tribe back from the brink of extinction.
Almir hopes to generate income for the tribe by selling forest carbon
credits. To achieve this goal, he contacted Google Earth to teach the
Surui how to use digital technology to monitor and map the forest.
His efforts to build partnerships between indigenous peoples and
international actors for sustainable development have earned him
accolades around the world. He received the 2008 Human Rights
Prize from the International Society for Human Rights in Geneva. In
2011 Almir was named as one of the 100 most creative people in the
world by Fast Company, the world's leading progressive media brand
which focuses on innovation and leadership.
Almir was born in 1974 in the state of Rondonia, in western Brazil.
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FOREST HERO | NORTH AMERICA
ARIEL LUGO, USA
Dr. Ariel Lugo has dedicated his life to the
conservation
of
forests
and
the
improvement of communities around the
world.
Ariel is an active scientist! His talent for
environmental research is paired with a
unique ability to create new linkages
between forests and diverse audiences. His most recent project
helps to prevent violence and promote healthy childhood
development by encouraging the participation of youth in planting
seasonal organic products and native trees.
Ariel believes in the use of a variety of tools to engage and inspire
people to discover the scientific and artistic significance of forests.
While Ariel has published over 470 scientific articles, he continues to
explore new ways to turn forest policy into practice.
His thought leadership has earned him innumerable honors,
including the Zayed International Prize for the Environment,
Distinguished Service and Distinguished Scientist Award from USDA,
an Honorary Doctorate from University of Puerto Rico and a
Meritorious Executive Rank Award from President George W. Bush.
He also contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) Scientific Assessment that received the 2007 Nobel
Peace Prize with Al Gore.
Ariel is currently the Director of the International Institute of
Tropical Forestry (1986-present). He has consulted with UNESCO and
also served in the Executive Office of the President, Council on
Environmental Quality (1978-79); as Project Leader, US Forest
Service (1979-92); and Acting Deputy Chief, International Forestry in
Washington D.C. (1995).
Born in Puerto Rico, Ariel received his Master’s Degree in Science
(Biology) and a Ph.D. in Ecology.
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INTERNATIONAL FOREST SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
UNFFS partnered with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival to
honor the creative efforts of film makers who visually capture how
forests inspire, shelter, nurture and contribute to our lives. This
year’s Film Festival is for short films of five minutes or less. We
received 128 entries from 38 countries. The highest number of
entries are from USA, India, UK, Canada, Germany and the
Netherlands.
WINNERS, in alphabetical order:
 Amazing Grace by Rowan Pybus, South Africa
 An Unseen World by Paul Rosolie, USA
 Feel like a Mountain by Elio Alonso Vasquez Miranda, Peru
 Ma forêt by Sébastien Pins, Belgium
 Reynaldo by Dan Childs & Nick Werber, UK
HONOURABLE MENTIONS, in alphabetical order:
 The Water Forest by Heather Meyer, UK
 The Mother Forest by Maria Luz Fang-asan, the Philippines
 Adaptación by Sofia Carrillo, Mexico
 Mbuti: Children of the Forest by Molly Feltner, USA
 Our Little World by Apip Rea, Indonesia
 What's Happening In Our Forest? by Jamie Cundiff, USA
The 21 finalists of the International Forests Short Film Festival can be
seen here: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/international-day-offorests/video.html.
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WINNING SHORT FILM | AMAZING GRACE
ROWAN PYBUS, SOUTH AFRICA
Rowan is an award-winning Cape Town filmmaker
and photographer. His company Makhulu (“Big”)
opened in 2003 and is established as a leading South
African production house for live events.
Rowan created content for global brands including Red Bull,
Volkswagen and Adidas, directing and producing music videos for
bands like Jeremy Loops and The Dirty Skirts. His collaboration with
artist Faith47 created several acclaimed short films exhibited across
Europe.
Rowan supports NGOs assisting impoverished communities across
Africa, helping to raise their profiles, and is a founding member of
Greenpop.
Creativity and originality are paramount. “New technologies are
being developed all the time and I enjoy combining technological
innovation with new ways of thinking. That is what enables me to
tell stories in unconventional ways.”
Career highlights include filming the Volkswagen World Junior
Masters, video travelogue for Africa Travel Co., street art projects in
The Gambia, touring the USA with SA’s biggest band, and helping
save Victoria Falls from rampant deforestation.
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WINNING SHORT FILM | AN UNSEEN WORLD
PAUL ROSOLIE, USA
A naturalist and explorer, Paul specializes in the
western Amazon. Working with indigenous
communities to protect forests through responsible
ecotourism, Paul spent over seven years with people
who know the forest best.
Paul’s work took him to Borneo, India, Brazil, and
Peru. In the Amazon he traveled with poachers into deep jungle
documenting black market endangered species trade (the third
largest black market globally, following guns and drugs), researched
giant anacondas, raised a giant anteater, and explored an
undocumented ecosystem known as called the ‘floating forest’. He
also spends periods in solitude with his raft in remote corners of the
jungle, filming, writing, and observing wildlife.
Paul’s current focus is storytelling: on-the-ground experiences led
him to believe the Amazon (and other tropical rainforest
ecosystems) are at a crucial moment in history; it’s the responsibility
of our generation to ensure they survive. His current focus is Mother
of God (Harper Collins), a first-hand account of conservation and
high adventure in the Amazon’s Wild West.
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WINNING SHORT FILM | FEEL LIKA A MOUNTAIN
ELIO ALONSO VASQUEZ MIRANDA, PERU
Alonso was born in one of the most culturally vibrant
cities in Latin America: UNESCO’s World Cultural
Heritage Arequipa, Peru, and was selected for Røde
Kors Nordisk United World College in Norway,
amongst the most notable international boarding
schools in Europe.
His films focus on Social and Environmental Issues, with a TV
advertisement for Norwegian National Television and short
documentaries such as the life of Edwin Gonzales, victim of
personnel landmines.
Award-winner at the United Nations Environmental Program, GreenGo Short Film Contest in Budapest, Chilean National Television
Council, and nominee at The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Faith Shorts Film Festival in London
and Plural + Film Festival in New York (United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations), Alonso’s work was recognized by Ministry of
Production of the Republic of Peru and premiered at the Meeting of
the Parties regarding the 25th Anniversary Ceremony of the
Montreal Protocol in Geneva, and the Oslo City Hall with Norway’s
Queen Sonja.
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WINNING SHORT FILM | MA FORÊT
SÉBASTIEN PINS, BELGIUM
Born in 1990 in Namur, Belgium, Sébastien has
always been fascinated by the delicacy and mysteries
of nature. He was attracted early to photography,
capturing the connections between man and nature
and receiving many prizes throughout Europe. At
eight years, he wrote and directed his first theatre scene, at 15,
discovering pyrotechnics and becoming a professional
pyrotechnician at 20.
With
audio-visual
training at the SAE
Institute in Brussels,
he made his first
documentary,
awarded
in
the
Festival Nature Namur
(BE) in 2010. At the
Institut des Arts de
Diffusion in Louvainla-Neuve (BE) he
made another on the
symbiosis
between
men
and
bees,
awarded
in
the
Festival Nature Namur
in 2011 and others,
and broadcast on
television (RTBF, RTC).
Realizing the need for
fiction
films
on
nature, he produced
“My Forest”, a short film on men and trees. Flimography: La charte
de la terre (2010), Symbiose (2011), Ma forêt (2012).
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WINNING SHORT FILM | REYNALDO
DAN CHILDS & NICK WERBER, UK
London-based Dan Childs graduated in Biology
discovering filmmaking during a local film
challenge, screening in the Brighton Fringe Festival.
Combining digital cameras with vintage lenses, Dan
created promotional films and animations, also
filming in Peru’s Amazon with journalist Nick Werber. Specializing in
evolution within tropical ecosystems at college, Dan wanted to
experience the rainforest’s biodiversity, championing the
conservation and social projects of the Crees Foundation, a
rainforest conservation charity in Peru’s Manu region. Dan is
currently working as director and cinematographer on featurelength documentaries in the UK and China.
Nick Werber’s passion for writing and the natural
world, with a degree in creative writing, inspired him
as an environmental journalist. In 2010 Nick began
chronicling the Crees Foundation’s work, writing,
photographing and filmmaking. In Peru, Nick learned
about rainforest issues and met inspiring people,
including sustainable forestry pioneer Reynaldo
Ochoa. In January 2011, with filmmaker Dan Childs, Nick completed
several films about Crees’ work in Manu, including this one about
Reynaldo.
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INTERNATIONAL FOREST PHOTOGRAPH AWARD
This is the first ever global initiative by the UNFFS to acknowledge
and honour efforts to visually capture the significant, extraordinary
and unique connection of people and forests. We received 426
entries from 39 countries. The highest number of entries are from:
Russia, Indonesia, Ukraine, Turkey and India.
WINNERS, in alphabetical order:
 Budur by Atakan Baykal, Turkey
 Faces of the Mau: Community Leader by Riccardo Gangale, Italy
 Morning from Situ Gunung by Prasetyo Nurramdhan, Indonesia
 My favorite place by Olga Lavrushko, Ukraine
 Pahmung krui Damar Forest by Eka Fendiaspara, Indonesia
 Sleeping beauty by Pablo Pro, Spain
HONOURABLE MENTIONS, in alphabetical order:
 Farming the forest by Lamphay Inthakoun, Lao
 Forests are “honey” for traditional tribals by Aulia Erlangga,
Indonesia
 Hungry animals in winter by Muzaffer Ketmen, Turkey
 Mangrove forest reforestation by Irwandi M. Gade, Indonesia
 Once a playground and source of life by Budi Setiawan,
Indonesia
 Pine forest by Zulkarnaen Syri Lokesyware, Indonesia
 Pray by Danang Sujati, Indonesia
 What if this is the last tree? by Dwi Kristiyadi, Indonesia
 Wood Man by Somenath Mukhopadhyay India
The jury would further like to provide special acknowledgements to:
 Am I visible? by Ajay Chandwani, India
 Beech avenue in autumn by Robert Clamp, United Kingdom
 Collecting fodder by Sandesh Timilsina, Nepal
 Northern Hawk Owl by Finella Pescott, Canada
 Rubber farmers by Rahmat Rahim Nur, Indonesia
 Walking alone by Ali Mustofa, Indonesia
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WINNING PHOTOGRAPH | BUDUR
ATAKAN BAYKAL, TURKEY
Atakan is a forest engineer living in Turkey.
His adventure in photography started in
1997. He has been a professional Nature
Photographer with the general Directorate
of Forestry (GDF) since 2008. He captures
Turkish Forests through documentaries and
photographs.
Atakan was born in Kırklareli, Turkey in 1979. He graduated from
Istanbul University - Forestry Faculty in 2000. He has worked in the
GDF since 2002.
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WINNING PHOTOGRAPH | PAHMUNG KRUI DAMAR FOREST
EKA FENDIASPARA, INDONESIA
Eka revels in landscape, wildlife and nature photography. While he
studied to be a teacher of mathematics, he took classes in
photography – turning his hobby into a second career.
Eka Fendiaspara was born in Padang Ratu, Indonesia
in 1983. Since 2007 he has been teaching math in a
high school in West Lampung and at the Terbuka
University since 2012. In 2010 he became an
instructor of an extracurricular photography class. He
continues to be an active contributor to a number of
online photography communities.
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WINNING PHOTOGRAPH | PAHMUNG KRUI DAMAR FOREST
RICCARDO GANGALE, ITALY
Riccardo has documented visual journeys from ‘Food for the cities’
in Ethiopia for FAO, the struggle of landless people in South Africa,
withdrawal of the Rwandan troops from Congo, gacaca trials in
Rwanda, to the daily life and living condition of the Casbah in Algiers
for galbe.com. Riccardo has undertaken assignments for UNICEF,
UNHCR, WFP, WHO and the Global Fund in Chad, Cote d’Ivoire,
Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Somalia. Based in Kigali from 2003 to
2008, Riccardo worked as a freelance correspondent for the
Associated Press for the Great Lakes region, covering socio-political
issues in Congo Burundi, Uganda and Kenya. From 2008 to date
Riccardo has been based in Nairobi.
Riccardo was born in Rome, Italy in 1975. He has a
Masters in professional. His photographs have been
published in the New York Times, Time Magazine, The
Guardian, Liberation, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and The
Washington Post.
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PHOTOGRAPH | MY FAVOURITE PLACE
OLGA LAVRUSHKO, UKRAINE
Olga was born in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine in
1991. In June 2013 she will graduate from
the Zaporizhzhian State Engineering
Academy. Olga is an explorer at heart -discovering cities on her bicycle always with
a camera at hand. She draws inspiration
from everything from long walks to music
festivals.
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WINNING PHOTOGRAPH | MORNING FROM SITU GUNUNG
PRASETYO NURRAMDHAN, INDONESIA
Prasetyo was born in Bandung, Indonesia in 1992. He
was first attracted to photography in high school and
is a self- taught photographer. Prasetyo now lives in
Jakarta.
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WINNING PHOTOGRAPH | SLEEPING BEAUTY
PABLO PRO, SPAIN
Pablo specializes in films and documentaries on nature and social
issues. He has worked on Child of our Time (BBC), Earth Story and On
the Road. Pablo has also been commissioned by the National
Geographic, BBC, Canal Plus France and Discovery Channel.
In Spain, Pablo has worked as a camera operator for many flagship
productions. He has also worked in the field of advertising as
Director of Photography for Coca-Cola, Aquafina, Nike and
Telefonica. From 2003 to 2007 he taught courses on photography at
the Film School in San Antonio de los Ba os, Cuba.
Pablo was born in 1968 in Madrid, Spain. In 1993
he graduated with a degree in Cinematography.
He is the recipient of Best Photography Awards
for La China 2007, En el hoyo 2008 and El Palacio
de la luna 2009.
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INTERNATIONAL JURY
JAN MCALPINE
Director
United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat
Ms. Jan McAlpine has been Director of the United
Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS) since November 2008.
She has been working on environmental, trade and social issues for
over 30 years, with a specific focus on international forest policy
matters for the past 15 years. Ms. McAlpine previously served as
Senior Negotiator and Advisor for Forests for the United States
Department of State (Foreign Affairs), and participated in
international processes on forests including the UN processes on
forests after the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the UN Forum on Forests
(UNFF), the FAO Committee on Forestry, UNCTAD and the
International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). She served as
Chairman of the ITTC as well, putting special efforts into attracting
NGOs and communities to participate in the ITTO.
Ms. McAlpine has been instrumental in conceiving and
implementing three significant international forest initiatives: the
Congo Basin Forest Partnership, the regional Forest Law
Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) processes and the Liberia
Forest Initiative. All three initiatives have attracted millions of
dollars in funding for sustainable forest management. Most recently,
she was a Visiting Scholar and Senior Research Fellow for
International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) at the
University of Michigan, where she was played a leading role in
organizing and facilitating discussions at the National Summit on
Coping with Climate Change. She was given an appointment to
Sweden’s Royal Academy in 2009, and the German Society of
Foresters – the oldest in the world – gave her a medal for her global
work on forests in 2011. Jan McAlpine grew up in Central and
Southern Africa, in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Kenya and South Africa.
Ms. McAlpine was a member of the jury for all 3 Awards.
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JURY FOR FOREST HERO AWARDS
JOHN COLMEY
Director of Communications
Center for International Forestry Research
John Colmey is the Director of Communications at the Center for
International Forestry Research and a former award winning Bureau
Chief for TIME Magazine in Hong Kong with 25 years of experience in
Asia and Africa. John first fell in love with forests through the books
of John Muir and hiked throughout the parks of the US, including the
Appalachian trail when he was 18, and later across Asia. He has a
degree in forestry from the University of Minnesota and graduate
degrees in economics and journalism from the London School of
Economics and Columbia University.
DANIEL SHAW
Communications Officer
Global Forest and Climate Change Programme,
International Union for Conservation of Nature
As Communications Officer for the Global Forest and Climate Change
Programme IUCN since 2010, Daniel Shaw worked for 15 years as a
communicator within the broad domains of international
environmental conservation, global health and international
education.
After working with the WWF species and freshwater units, Daniel
completed a degree in philosophy at Durham University, focusing on
environmental ethics and later, postgraduate studies in
environmental philosophy and public health. Before IUCN, he spent
seven years at the World Health Organization.
Daniel considers himself lucky to have known individuals and groups
who are - in their own way - forest heroes.
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EDUARDO ROJAS-BRIALES
Assistant Director-General
Forestry Department
Food and Agriculture Organization
Born 1962 in Spain, Eduardo Rojas-Briales holds an MSc in Forestry
from University of Freiburg and a PhD from Polytechnic University of
Madrid. From the Catalonia Forest Service, he worked as Forest
consultant with Munich’s Deutsche Forstservice GmbH, then
Director of the Catalan Forest Owners Association and Head of the
Forest Policy Area of ‘Centro Tecnológico Forestal de Catalu a’,
initiating the Mediterranean Regional Project Centre of EFI.
As Chair of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and IUFRO
Forest Legislation Working Group, among other posts and
professorships, Rojas-Briales was nominated UN CommissionerGeneral, EXPO 2015 by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the
United Nations.
JURY - INTERNATIONAL SHORT FOREST FILM FESTIVAL
WILLIAM GRANT
Chairman Emeritus
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
William R. Grant was director of Science, Nature and History
program for over a decade at public television station WNET New
York, becoming director of its largest production department in
1997. At WGBH Boston as managing editor of Frontline, then
executive editor of NOVA, Grant was executive producer of several
notable PBS series, including Nature, one of public television’s mostwatched series, and mini-series including Savage Skies, Savage
Earth, Savage Seas, and Stephen Hawking's Universe, among others.
Grant’s programs won 15 Emmy awards and 9 George Foster
Peabody awards. He was a founding member of the board of the
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and is currently Chairman
Emeritus.
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CHAIM LITEWSKI
Chief, Television Section
United Nations
Chaim Litewski, born in Rio de Janeiro, obtained an M.A. from
Polytechnic of Central London/Westminster University. His articles
appeared in Sight and Sound, Screen, Image International, among
others.
Mr. Litewski produced films for British Film Institute’s Production
Board, UK’s Channel Four, NBC (USA), and Italy’s RAI. He was
correspondent with Brazil’s Globo Television in London and an
international news coordinator with Globo Television, Rio de
Janeiro. In 1991, Chaim joined United Nations Television New York
as a Producer. He covered conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, and
human rights in over 100 countries, including the Rwanda Genocide
and the South Asia Tsunami. He currently heads the United Nations
Television Section.
LISA SAMFORD
Executive Director
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
Wyoming native Lisa Samford left journalism to become an awardwinning documentary filmmaker, specializing in remote expeditions.
Working primarily for Discovery, PBS, National Geographic, and
network television she filmed across five continents on projects
ranging from violent crime, espionage, and ethnographic/scientific
exploration to portraits of author Wallace Stegner, conservation
pioneer Mardy Murie, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Executive
Director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival since 2002,
Samford holds BS and MA degrees in Communication. She serves as
trustee for the University of Wyoming Art Museum Foundation, and
sits on board of directors for nonprofit organizations on the arts and
education/children’s issues.
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AWARDS
MARK SHELLEY
Executive Producer
Sea Studios Foundation
Sea Studios Foundation is the culmination of Mark’s lifelong
ambition to harness film-making to spotlight our times’ most
pressing issues – from climate change to invasive species, from loss
of biological diversity to that of large predators and landscape
fragmentation, and the vital role of our oceans. A passionate
advocate, Mark believes the first step toward inspiring action is to
help the public appreciate the science underlying the earth’s
systems.
A producer of award-winning films, Sea Studios is best-known for its
award-winning National Geographic prime-time series, Shape of Life,
and Strange Days on Planet Earth, hosted by Edward Norton and
Mark as executive producer.
S. NALLA MUTHU
Cinematographer, Director & Producer
Grey Films
Nalla is a cinematographer, director and producer since 1987. In a
twenty-year career he’s shot feature films, documentaries, news,
corporate films and television. Nalla worked with the BBC, Channel
4, and Discovery International. As an expert Hi-definition, Hi-speed
cinematographer, his work received international acclaim.
Nalla’s passion for the Royal Bengal Tiger translated into two
documentaries. ‘Tiger Queen’ highlights the power struggle in a tiger
family and was broadcast on National Geographic Wild and Animal
Planet. ‘Tiger Dynasty’ portrayed a scientific translocation of tigers
for the BBC and Animal Planet.
Nalla’s technical skills and poetic style won the Indian National Film
Award for Best Cinematography in 2012.
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FORESTS FOR PEOPLE
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AWARDS
JURY - INTERNATIONAL FOREST PHOTOGRAPH AWARD
NACHO ABIA
President
Olympus Imaging America
Since 2011, Nacho has served as both President of Olympus Imaging
America and Director of Olympus Imaging Corporation of Japan and
Olympus Corporation of America’s Boards. His regional
responsibilities cover North and South America.
Previously, he worked as Managing Director of Olympus Europa in
Hamburg (Germany), for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. From
Barcelona, he positioned the company as leader of its various
markets, including Consumer Electronics and Photography.
Nacho has a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering, an
MBA and a Diploma in Advance Management by IESE.
PHILIP BLOCK
Deputy Director of Programs & Director of Education
International Center of Photography
Phillip Block was Founder and Director of Light Work from 19721982, when he developed artist sponsorship models and an artists’
residency that became the model for statewide sponsorship. From
1975-1979 he was Adjunct Curator of Photography at the Everson
Museum of Art. In 1998 he was appointed Deputy Director for
Programs at the International Center of Photography.
Mr. Block served on The Kodak Education Advisory Council and The
W. Eugene Smith Foundation, and advised the Gallery Association of
New York State and the New York State Council for the Arts, jurying
the Scholastic Art and Writing Award JGS Prize, Aperture Book prize,
and Overseas Press Club Awards.
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AWARDS
ALINKA ECHEVERRÍA
Independent photographer
Alinka Echeverría (b. 1981) of Mexico City and London, graduated
from The International Center of Photography in New York, with an
M.A in Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh. Named
‘International Photographer of the Year’ by the Lucie Awards in
2012, Echeverria won 2011’s HSBC Prize for Photography, with
awards from PX3 Prix Pour la Photographie, CENTER, Magenta
Foundation and American Photo.
Echeverria’s work was in over fifty exhibitions, including solos at the
2012 Lima Biennial of Photography, the Moscow Photobiennale,
London’s EB&Flow Gallery and Buenos Aires’ Festival of Light.
Collections include: Museum of Fine Artes in Houston and
Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
JUAN M. GABARRÓN
Director & CEO
The Gabarron Foundation, New York
From Valladolid, Spain, with an IT career and a Masters in EBusiness, Juan also received a degree in International Business from
the Institute for Executive Development at Tongji University,
Shanghai, China. As director of ArtFutura Castilla y León film festival
(2003-2004) and founder of International University Film Festival
FESTCINE, Juan moved to NY in 2005 to manage the US headquarters
of The Gabarron Foundation, one of the most important Spanish
Cultural institutions in New York.
In 2012 he collaborated with UNFF to bring to scale in two Award
programs.
He is on the Board of Directors of the Spain-US Chamber of
Commerce in NYC, chairing its Arts, Science & Sports Committee.
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FORESTS FOR PEOPLE
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AWARDS
MARK GARTEN
Chief of Photography
United Nations
Mark Garten, Chief of Photography at the United Nations, has been
creating images for 26 years, and has a Bachelor in Fine Arts in
Photography from the University of Buffalo. Now at the United
Nations, he leads a team of photographers. Travelling the globe with
UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon, Mark observed
the impact of UN programmes, documenting internally-displaced
people in Colombia’s jungles, camps in Pakistan, refugees in Jordan
and Turkey, conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and Somalia, climate change
issues in Africa and ice flows in the Arctic Circle. Mark shows ways
we can help through his images, through media around the world.
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