جائزة أفلام البيئة

Dressing the Princess

Dressing the Princess is a short film that follows the story of two urban conservationists, Denisha Anand and Alex Landsdowne, as they empower an entire community to restore Princess Vlei, a culturally significant wetland located in one of the most marginalized neighbourhoods in South Africa - the Cape Flats. The Cape Flats is a region characterised by gang violence and poverty, and many young people in these communities are growing up with no access to the natural world, and as a result, are cut off from their own cultural roots. Princess Vlei, which became an abandoned wasteland during apartheid, is now being restored by the community who are reintroducing native species to the area. Through the process of restoring the ecology of this space, Denisha and Alex are also re-introducing people to their land and thereby helping to restore the culture and dignity of the surrounding communities. The restoration of Princess Vlei is the first successful community conservation project in the city of Cape Town. This story shows why it is critical that we address the social injustices of the past when engaging in conservation today.