The Filmmakers
David E. Simpson and Jeannie R. Magill
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From filmmaker David E. Simpson:
In recent years, the conservation world has been turned upside down by a gathering consensus that wildlife is doomed unless local people are given a say—and a stake—in its management. But this paradigm shift has flown under the radar of the general public, who largely equate conservation with putting fences around animals to protect them from poachers. I hope the film helps viewers realize that people who live amongst wildlife are now part of the equation.
I also hope the film causes audiences to reconsider Africa and Africans. Most of us see Africa through a haze of reportage about wars, AIDS, poverty and corruption. Rural Africa, in particular, is viewed as backwards and/or romantically pure. By weaving stories of complex, multifaceted characters, MILKING THE RHINO breaks with stereotype to paint rural Africans as "akina sisi"—people like us.
Finally, we hope to bring MILKING THE RHINO back to the village level—in Africa and in other places where people live amongst wildlife or other natural resources. Rural Africans are in a unique position to teach others about the promises and pitfalls of community conservation. Our dream is that screenings at grass roots gatherings will help spawn innovative thinking and a sort of cross-pollination of ideas: “If such-and-such works at Il Ngwesi, how can we adapt it to our situation here?”
His three favorite films:
Le Fils (The Son) by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne
Manufacturing Consent by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick
2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick
His advice for aspiring filmmakers:
Follow your bliss. Either that or turn back before it’s too late.
His most inspirational food for making independent film:
Whatever the local people are eating. In the case of MILKING THE RHINO, that meant goat stew with mealy meal. Having said that, I would never go out on production without a stash of Clif Bars in my pack.
Filmmaker Bios
David E. Simpson
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
David E. Simpson has crafted award-winning films for 25 years. As a producer, director and editor, he plies his trade in the belief that a well-told story can move viewers’ hearts and minds about crucial, human issues.
Chicago-based, Simpson began making films at age 13, when he received a camera as a gift. He experimented with different kinds of storytelling, settling on the documentary format.
Simpson co-produced and directed the award-winning When Billy Broke His Head, a documentary about disability culture, and co-produced and edited Forgiving Dr. Mengele, a film about an Auschwitz survivor’s controversial campaign of forgiveness, which also garnered numerous awards. Simpson directed Refrigerator Mothers, a film about a generation of mothers who raised autistic children under the shadow of professionally promoted mother-blame. The film won top honors at a number of film festivals and aired on PBS.
When not producing and directing his own work, Simpson edits long-form documentaries. His credits include TERRA INCOGNITA: Mapping Stem Cell Research and THE NEW AMERICANS, both produced by Kartemquin Films for Independent Lens. Simpson has also edited the Emmy-nominated NOVA: Mysterious Crash of Flight 201 and other award-winning television programs.
Gordon Quinn
Executive Producer
President and founding member of Kartemquin Films, Gordon Quinn has been making documentaries for over 40 years. Roger Ebert called Kartemquin’s first film, Home for Life (1966) “an extraordinarily moving documentary.” Quinn was also executive-producer for Kartemquin’s best-known film, Hoop Dreams (1994).
Jeannie R. Magill
Originator, Co-producer
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