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Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fairy Tales

‘Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fairy Tales’ is an adventure quest by the filmmakers of the acclaimed wildlife crime thriller ‘STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war’, where they find three of earth’s most epic wildernesses. The two women immerse themselves in filming environments far different from their work of exposing crimes against the planet. This time they’re on a different journey to search for spaces that inspire awe and wonder, places that are timeless and where one can feel the beginning of creation –– what life was like a million years ago. Television presenter Bonné de Bod and film director Susan Scott reveal the challenge of filming in these pristine spots –– temperatures bordering minus 20º in the Arctic Circle to the scalding thermal vents of Yellowstone’s super-volcano.
And what will their quest find? That the planet never disappoints. And while their beautiful imagery moves us with untouched, incredible nature, the filmmakers seek out legendary stories on overcoming fear and rejuvenating souls. Reminding us that we are all still connected to where we come from. ‘Kingdoms’ motivates us to move into the next part of our lives with healing and positive expectation.  

  • Susan Scott
    Director
    STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war
  • Susan Scott
    Writer
    STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war
  • Bonné de Bod
    Producer
    STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war
  • Susan Scott
    Producer
    STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war
  • Bonné de Bod
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war
  • Carol Hilliard
    Graphic Design
    STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war; Vermeer: Master of Light; Written Off
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Adventure, nature, Environment, Wildlife, Naturalhistory
  • Runtime:
    50 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 4, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    South Africa
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany, South Africa, Sweden, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Canon, RED, SONY, 6K, 4K &HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Jackson Wild Film Festival
    Jackson Hole, Wyoming
    United States
    September 28, 2020
    USA Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Silwerskermfees
    Cape Town
    South Africa
    September 4, 2020
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • LGI Media
    Distributor
Director Biography - Susan Scott

Susan has been making documentary films for nearly twenty-five years now.  After studying cinematography and the craft of non-linear editing in the states, she went on to mentor with an ACE editor specializing in documentaries in Washington DC.  Susan has been privileged to cut for some of the best documentary filmmakers in the US and South Africa, where she currently lives.  She has won numerous awards, among them four SAFTAs, a Jackson Wild Media Award as well as five SAB Environmental Media Awards for her work. In 2010 she was awarded the acronym from the South African Editors Guild, and shortly afterwards she returned to her love of cinematography and started making her own documentaries. Susan's first film, the feature documentary on the rhino poaching crisis, ’STROOP - journey into the rhino horn war’ received critical acclaim and was officially selected for over 35 film festivals, winning 30 awards while being broadcast and streamed in over 80-countries around the globe in 7 languages.
Her latest film, 'Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fairy Tales' has just premiered to rave reviews from the press, and is due to be broadcast in March 2021.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

We viewed filming 'Kingdoms' as a gift, a privilege to be able to witness these incredible wildernesses still left on earth. Two of them have human intervention as a success story in them... so so different from our previous film where there is just doom and gloom for the natural world. So this was important to document in the most beautiful way possible as well as with all the genuine wonder of the places we were visiting. We worked with local photographers in the area, as filming natural history and seasonal landscapes, takes time... sometimes even years to do. And combined with our beautiful shots we used simple phone camera footage to bring that realness, rawness to the storyline. Despite wanting to film these epic landscapes and places of timeless beauty, we still could not escape the environmental stresses of the anthropocene era... we debated whether to put the last scene of the polar stratospheric clouds in or not and we felt duty-bound to do so. This could not just be a filmic version of a coffee-table book of pristine places... yes they exist, but we have to change our connection with the planet going forward post-pandemic. Speaking of the pandemic (!), we were filming in our last location when the virus emerged and we include it in our storyline. The crazy conditions filming (-17ºC) and the difficulty in conveying emotional family connections (trees in the Black Forest) as well as hanging all three wildernesses on a story spine, were made easier for sure by the cinematography, but we graded it all to match so that the viewer is given that familiarity throughout the film. I hope you consider 'Kingdoms' for your festival!
Regards,
Susan.