Event Details

THE FREESTYLE LIFE LAUNCHES AWARDING DOCUMENTARY THROUGH ITS DIRECT VOD PLATFORM



On June 1 2012 at 5:00 PM (UTC), The FreeStyle Life continues its support for independent filmmaking with the release of Sarita Siegel’s The Disenchanted Forest, the award winning feature documentary about orphaned orangutans. With Brooke Shields narrating, the documentary provides fresh insight into the field of primatology by investigating the finding that orangutans are taught how to survive the wild, instead of relying on their animal instincts. Unfortunately, deforestation has orphaned many orangutans and severed the very developmental process crucial to their survival. Siegel and her team follow a group of remarkable individuals at the Ngaru Menteng Reintroduction Clinic who teach orphaned orangutans the knowledge and social behavior they need in order to survive in the forest independently.

Honors and Awards:
- Finalist Marion Zentz Best Newcomer Award, Jackson Hole Film Festival
Commendation, The Genesis Awards
- Merit Award for Educational Value & Merit Award for Production Value, International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula Montana
- 2nd Place, EarthVision Environmental Film & Video Competition
- Merit Award Columbus, Ohio, Los Angeles
- Best Cinematography, Festival du Cinéma de Bruxelles
- Second Best Primate Film (professional category) International Primatological Society
- ‘The Disenchanted Forest’ Trailer was a finalist in the Missoula Montana Wildlife Film Festival & Angelciti Int’l Film Festival.


The Disenchanted Forest is not the first project The FreeStyle Life has featured from Ms. Siegel. This past winter The FreeStyle Life showcased the documentarian’s reggae music documentary Fire Burn Babylon, which was awarded Best Documentary at the 2012 FreeStyle Life Film Exhibition. The FreeStyle Life’s partnership with Siegel and her documentaries encapsulate its commitment to showcasing talented filmmakers and taking “indie above ground”. Both films are available for instant streaming on The FreeStyle Life platform and are accessible on all mobile and Internet capable devices. In addition to Siegel’s films, The FreeStyle Life has extended its promotional and distribution services to other filmmakers and plans to continue featuring projects from talented artists in the future. Tommy Swanhaus says "The Disenchanted Forest is one of most riveting films of the year."