Okavango: Jewel of the Kalahari: Search for the Jewel
(1987)
The first installment of the epic series Okavango:Jewel of the Kalahari, Search for the Jewel is an intriguing and visually stunning portrayal of wildlife in the Okavango delta, exploring the variety of life residing in and around its waterways.
Through the world-famous cinematography of Partridge Films, Dr Karen Ross, who has studied the Okavango and its conservation needs over two decades, brings to life the beauty, grace and diversity of this remote ecosystem. Deep in the Botswanan habitat a wealth of creatures are revealed as bat-eared foxes hunt, bushbabies leap from tree to tree and a wildebeest give birth.
Regarded as one of his classic films, Mike Rosenburg, the founder of Partridge Film and producer of this piece, describes editing down the huge range of bird, mammal and reptile behaviour as a “ghastly experience”. The wide acclaim this atmospheric production was met with, and the coveted Golden Panda Award it won at Wildscreen 1988, suggest however, his efforts probably were not in vain.
Michael Rosenberg
