Spotlight on Hans Ngoteya

May 1st 2022

Hans Cosmas Ngoteya is a conservationist from Tanzania, a National Geographic Explorer, an expedition expert, and a professional in wildlife photography and filming. He is a co-founder of Ngoteya Wild, a Tanzanian wildlife and conservation storytelling company where he works as a director and documentary cinematographer. He has worked with local and international organizations to tell impactful stories about their work and with NHK Wild Japan to produce a wildlife behavior documentary in the Serengeti. Also he is a co-founder of Tanzania Wildlife Media Association (TaWiMA) an association of professional Tanzanian wildlife content creators with the aim of marketing, promoting and educating about Tanzania’s wildlife resources. Additionally, he has co-founded Landscape and Conservation Mentors Organization (LCMO), an organization which focuses on promoting, supporting, and improving community livelihoods through sustainable environmental practices.  His ultimate goal is to develop and explore practical solutions to solving emerging conservation challenges and helping communities co-exist with wildlife. We sat down with him for an interview to understand who Hans – the man, the filmmaker is:

Why did you choose films as a medium to tell stories?

After college, I started my first job as a conservation educator, and the tool I was using to educate the community was filming. We conducted film night shows in villages and in classrooms. After conducting our impact survey we realized that film was the most effective tool that brought engagement and understanding for both adults and school students.

Which filmmaker has influenced you the most and why?

Films that influenced me most were films made by Africa Environment Film Foundation which were in both language English and Swahili and they mostly involved the local community in the stories. I used their films during my education classes and these films are the ones that motivated me to do what I am doing today.

Which filmmaker has influenced you the most and why?

Films that influenced me most were films made by Africa Environment Film Foundation which were in both language English and Swahili and they mostly involved the local community in the stories. I used their films during my education classes and these films are the ones that motivated me to do what I am doing today.

To date, how many films have you made?

Before becoming a wildlife and conservation filmmaker, I used to be a music video director/cinematographer. After completing my conservation studies in 2014, I then started connecting my profession as a conservationist and my passion for filming, and to date, I have made nine conservation documentaries.

Are you satisfied with how your films have been received? 

I am very satisfied, especially with my local Tanzanians since my films are in Swahili and many local people can understand them. They have been shown on the local Tanzania Television network as well.

Are all your films done in Swahili? Has producing films in Swahili ever been an obstacle as far as how they are received by audiences beyond East Africa? 

I only have two films in English and one in Japanese and the other seven in Swahili. Producing films in Swahili has never been an obstacle. A language used in film actually depends on your targeted audience and since most of the films I have been producing recently our target was local communities then we reached our goals with them. But since the films have subtitles on them, they have been watched and enjoyed by non-Tanzanians as well and been selected for various international festivals.

As a young African filmmaker, what roadblocks do you face? 

The film industry is predominantly dominated by Westerners, so it’s not unusual to be met with an initial lack of trust. Additionally, people always expect a significantly lower price for my work than the standard film rate. I have had to turn down a lot of jobs because they were just not prepared to properly compensate us for our work and equipment. The director of NHK Japan was very surprised when we were filming a Wildlife series in Serengeti for the network, that the lead cinematographer was a local Tanzanian, something that has never happened before.

What gap(s) do you intend to fill in storytelling through film?

The ownership and the understanding of the natural resources by the locals. For many years the natural history and conservation documentaries have been produced in foreign languages and local Tanzanians are left out of the conversation.

What are you working on now?

We are in the last stage of post-production of a film called Mkomazi Rhino Guardians, a story about the first Rhino Sanctuary in Tanzania to be fully run by local native Tanzanians. I am also an underwater filmmaker in training and we are working on our first underwater story called Ocean Voice. Apart from film, we have conservation campaigns. We have a comic book that will be coming out soon and also our outreach initiation project called ‘Conservation Cruiser’ where we will be driving to schools with a projector powered by the solar system to show the films that we have and this year our theme for the film show is called “ Conservation Careers”.

Parting shot?

I’m excited to see where this filming career is taking me and where the film industry is heading in my country and Africa in general. I hope to be able to reach a population that has been largely ignored by conservation activists and inspire real change to protect the beautiful natural world of my home.

Read more about Hans: www.hanscosmasngoteya.com