Adapt by Filipe DeAndrade from Comfort Theory on Vimeo.
Not only did he make the final cut, he won the contest.
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As a freelance cinematographer and producer traveling the country seeking adventure and shooting wildlife, Filipe DeAndrade originally studied film and wildlife ecology & conservation at the University of Florida.
He’s come a long ways since those days. DeAndrade’s inspiring film that you see above, Adapt, was selected as the final winner from hundreds of online entries, taking the grand prize from both the Sun Valley Film Festival and National Geographic’s Wild to Inspire competition last week.
His pictures are indeed beautiful, stunning, and one of a kind. In his short film, the young photographer shared how he found a deep salvation in nature at a time when his own life was particularly chaotic and confusing. He came to find his place and voice through the camera lens, saying passionately, “The minute I picked up my camera I found my voice. If nature was my savior, then photography was my soulmate.”
In partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation, DeAndrade will now travel to Africa this fall to produce another film, sharing his wildlife adventures further through videos, diaries, and photos as part of an online companion to National Geographic’s Destination Wild Sunday night nature series.
“We heartily congratulate Filipe and can’t wait to see what he’ll bring back to the screen through his lens,” said Craig R. Sholley of the African Wildlife Foundation. “Africa provides the perfect backdrop for honing your skills as a wildlife filmmaker given its extraordinary biodiversity. Filipe’s camera will be a window into that world inspiring others to advocate for its protection.”
DeAndrade’s love of nature is equal to his own passion as a cinematographer. “In order to protect something you have to love it, and I cannot wait to bring back a story from Africa to inspire others to love the natural world as much as I do,” the Brazilian-born DeAndrade said. “My life’s passion is to use my camera to inspire others to fall in love with the wild, the same way that I did.”
“I was 5 years old when we came to America from Rio de Janeiro. We had no citizenship, no money and I had only a tenuous grasp on the English Language. To make things a little more difficult, my father was addicted to drugs and extremely abusive,” DeAndrade said of his early childhood.
“So at 5 years old, I learned my most important life lesson:Adapt. Through our experiences we’re meant to be better because of our hardships; not in spite of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone who helped me be a part of this process because you never let me go at it alone.”
~With appreciation and inspiration to Kym Kemp
by Skippy Massey
This post originally appeared at the Humboldt Sentinel. Reprinted with permission.
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