Filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel discusses his compelling documentary Virunga, which highlights the efforts of local rebels and the British oil conglomerate SOCO International to capitalize on oil wealth in the area – at the expense of a dwindling gorilla population.
Orlando was captivated by the beauty of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park and inspired by many of the film’s subjects who are trying to protect the mountain gorillas. Gorillas are currently extremely endangered, with only about 880 gorillas left in the whole world.
“SOCO comes along and everybody believes there’s a lot of money at stake, so the rebels will fund themselves by taking natural resources illegally. And suddenly there’s people claiming to represent SOCO,” he explained about the complexity of the problem.
Orlando had barely arrived in the area when conflict broke out over SOCO, which was conducting illegal oil exploration operations within the park. “Suddenly, what I thought I was making a film about made this U-turn and became about something very different, and a lot bigger and a lot scarier,” he said.
The gorilla population in Virunga National Park has became devastated by deforestation through farming and decades of war and conflict, which he said historically develops into a “cycle of violence.”
“What we realized with Virunga, fairly early on, was that we were witnessing that process play out on a micro scale – and in this case it was SOCO illegally exploring for oil.”
Watch the full episode to experience more about the park’s amazing gorilla population and to hear Orlando talk about the difficulties filming in a conflict zone.
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