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Early on in the making of Lions, Bones & Bullets we realised that impartiality and independence were essential for credibility and editorial integrity. The production had to be free of creative and editorial influence from all those outside the core filmmaking team. Compromise was not an option so it had to be the three of us, Richard, Anton and Jasmine working as true independents taking on a potentially unfriendly multi million dollar industry. We established a new production company in the UK, Jagged Peak Films Ltd to produce the film, and retained full ownership of the production by putting up over half the production budget ourselves. The remaining funding was secured from foundations, grants, and private donors and was always accepted on the strict understanding that there were no editorial strings attached. This allowed us to follow our own path and come to our own conclusions unswayed by bias or vested interests. After three years of filming and research we can now tell the story our way, and having followed our guiding principles of fairness and integrity we can present our investigation with confidence and pride.

 

Lions, Bones & Bullets’ unique voice comes from our determination to tell our story without input from funders or other stakeholders. To produce this documentary we took the bumpy road of putting up most of the production costs and maintaining full ownership over the project to stay independent. What you will see in the film is our personal and honest conclusions about lion farming in South Africa, which will open an ethical debate about the future of this industry.
Although the first lion skeletons were exported to South-East Asia back in 2008, we were surprised to find out that there was minimal international coverage of why there is such an interest in lion bones on the other side of the globe. The two sides of this prosperous industry - the lion farming in South Africa and the sale of tiger products made of South African lion bones in South-East Asia - was an absurd story that needed to be exposed. When we connected the dots to discover the annual turnover of the business amounts to nearly 100 million USD, we knew that we were after something big... and dangerous.
During the research and filming of Lions, Bones & Bullets we obtained exclusive access to places in South Africa and South-East Asia which have been hidden away from the public eye for years. We met people, who prefer to avoid the spotlight. Even when our own safety was at risk, we kept going. We knew the story of the lion bone trade had to be told, because if not us, who was going to tell it, and if not now, when would it be told?

 

It is only through the overwhelming support we have received from friends, family, industry professionals, organisations and fans that we managed to fund a big part of the production costs. But there still is a long way to go. Broadly speaking, there are 3 phases in documentary film making: Concept, research and filming, then post-production, and then finally marketing and distribution.  We have successfully completed the first 2 phases and are now well into phase 3. Making a good enough film was the first hurdle and now the second, and equally important challenge, is to get the film in front of the largest possible global audience. Our outreach strategy involves a 2-year festival circuit, traditional broadcasting and community screenings, all of which will help spark a global debate about lion farming and keep it open. The international festival premiere of Lions, Bones & Bullets will be at the 60th Monte-Carlo Television Festival in June 2021, and it will mark the start of the festival circuit. We hope to have traditional broadcasting available by the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022. In parallel to this, we will also aim to reach smaller communities, who are affected by lion farming or can influence directly on its future, by offering private screenings. To be able to do all of this, we will need the active support of our most devoted supporters.

Do you want to join? See below how you can be part of our global outreach.

 

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To help the film make a bigger impact, donate with PayPal. All funds will be used for our campaign to promote the film on social media and in communities accross the world.
Account Name: Jagged Peak Films Ltd., Bank: Lloyds Bank, BIC: LOYDGB21456, IBAN: GB84LOYD30919141642068
If you want to show Lions, Bones and Bullets to a community of friends or colleagues, please drop us a line to discuss the options: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Or get in touch directly, we’d love to hear from you: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. THANK YOU!

Jagged Peak Films
C/O RICHARD PEIRCE
20 Dean Clarke House
Southernhay East,
Exeter,  EX1 1AP
Devon, United Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)128 835 2608
Fax +44 (0)128 835 3779