Guardians of Ua Huka Short Film

This short film passion project came about from a chance meeting years ago with a young naturalist called Liv Grant at a wildlife media event in London. In 2018 Liv got in touch and said that she and her colleague Annika Schlemm were planning an expedition to the remote island of Ua Huka in French Polynesia. They were going to research to critically endangered birds, found nowhere else, the ultramarine lorikeet and iphis monarch.

Being successful they want to bring along a third person to focus on media potential for the expedition. This is how Guardians of Ua Huka was born.

Version Française - https://vimeo.com/415621107 A short film passion project about the remote island of Ua Huka which is part of the Marquesas islands in French Polynesia. Home to two critically endangered birds, the ultramarine lorikeet and iphis monarch, as well as its wealth of cultural heritage, this island relies on guardians to protect and maintain it. Tuhuna is a guardian, working with the community to preserve all aspects of island life and conserve it for the next generation. The project was part of an expedition run by Liv Grant and Annika Schlemm, at the time Oxford University students who were researching the bird species on the island. Working with the likes of BirdLife International and SOP-MANU, the project wanted to create a short film about this incredible island for linked NGOs to help promote their conservation campaigns. Starring Tuhuna Sulprice Filmed, directed and edited by Ben Cherry Producers: Ben Cherry and Liv Grant Drone Operator: Annika Schlemm. There are so many people to thank for making this project become a reality, huge thanks go out to: Tuhuna Sulprice Leila Liberge Ken Taaviri Jean Baptiste Tepea Caroline Blanvillain Amber Eames Verity White Emily Donaldson Vaipae’e Primary School All of the Ua Huka Community University of Oxford Christ Church, University of Oxford Scientific Exploration Society The Rivers Foundation BirdLife International SOP Manu Association Vaiku’a Zoo Berlin Zoo Heidelberg ZGAP BEST Voluntary Scheme G-Technology TEX:Energy Leatherman Audio Uproar Technical Information Due to travel restrictions the project was filmed with very minimal equipment. The majority of the film was filmed with a Panasonic GH5s to an Atomos Shogun Inferno. The grade was done with Filmconvert to a REC709 output with the sound design by Audio Uproar.

Having worked on this in my spare time ever since I returned from the expedition in September 2018, it is great to finally release it publicly, with the hope that it can be used by our partnered conservation charities to promote their campaigns.

Guardians of Ua Huka Credits

Starring: Tuhuna Sulprice 

Director: Ben Cherry

Producers: Ben Cherry, Liv Grant 

Camera Operator: Ben Cherry

Drone Operator: Annika Schlemm

Editor: Ben Cherry

Sound Design: Audio Uproar, Ben Wood, Matt Coster

Special Thanks to: Scientific Exploration Society, Rivers Foundation, University of Oxford, Christ Church College, Zoo Berlin, Zoo Heidelberg, ZGAP.

Associated with: BirdLife International, SOP Manu and Association Vaiku'a.