This documentary will be out in the UK on July 22nd 2009 on Channel Five, and then NatGeo throughout the rest of the world from November..

It is directed by Osca Humphreys and presented by me. It is all about the Shuar people of Ecuador. The story is kickstarted by the discovery of some footage shot by an explorer in the 1960’s - which looks like it shows the only known footage of a genuine headshrinking ceremony, with a real human head being shrunk to the size of an orange.

On the way to find out what is really going on in the footage I meet the President of the Shuar, a battalion of jungle fighting specialists, a Catholic missionary who campaigns against headshrinking by converting the Shuar to Christianity, oh and a member of a lynch mob who is happy to talk about the day they dragged someone off into the jungle and “turned him into powder”…

Here are some of my favourite photos from the shoot. I’d like to thank everyone at Diverse TV and of course the Shuar for all their hospitality. Rocfoto took the best shots, and thanks to all the crew for taking photos on my Lumix LX3 as well. The music is a small snippet of a Shuar dance tune. Sadly, there was no room in the final edit for the Shuar dancing scene…

Just done the voiceover for these excellent anti drink drive radio ads. Many thanks to the team at thisisglobal.com - Ben Davis, Fiona Taylor and Tracey Weiss.

We did the recording via ISDN from my studio in London Bridge so I didn’t get to see the clients from the Casualty Reduction Partnership but they sounded charming…

There are three ads to listen to MUMS, YOUNGSTERS and OFFICE BOYS. Fingers crossed these make a difference.

The slideshow is just a random selection of photos of me, my studio, Neumann microphone and a broken tv…

British Voiceover by http://www.piersgibbon.com
Many thanks to Simon Trevor
Chairman & Executive Producer The African Environmental Film Foundation

*** If you care about Rhinos and African wildlife please visit their website and make a donation! ****

Simon Trevor served as a Warden in the Kenya National Parks and having over 40 years experience of wildlife filming (for which he has won numerous international awards), as well as a long-standing involvement with conservation issues in Kenya and Tanzania.

In addition to numerous wildlife documentaries made for the prestigious ‘Survival Anglia’ television series, Simon’s film credits include ‘Out of Africa’, ‘Gorillas in the Mist’, ‘White Hunter, Black Heart’, and ‘The Color Purple’.

In 1998, Simon gave up commercial film-making to launch the African Environmental Film Foundation, with the aim of showing people the real story of what is happening to the wild animals and wild places of Africa, and the effect that environmental issues have on the welfare of people across the continent.

Simon’s experience of film-making and conservation work in Africa makes him the ideal person to lead AEFF’s production team.

Thanks also to Tanya Trevor Saunders & Ian Saunders
Directors Of Strategy & Operations

Tanya and Ian Saunders are executive directors overseeing the strategic and operational side of the Foundation. Between them they have spent half a century in Africa and are experienced in NGO management, private sector enterprise, wildlife management and conservation, as well as having a sound understanding of film production, distribution and marketing methods.