My Pantanal

‘My Pantanal’ is a film about a boy named Aerenilso, who lives on a fazenda (ranch) in the Pantanal, the world’s largest and wildest wetland, in Brazil. Aerenilso shows us what it is like to be a Pantaneiro (a cowboy), riding his horse, doing his chores, and exploring this incredible landscape that is teeming with wildlife, including the jaguar. We hear and see the issues through his viewpoint — the pride of being a Pantaneiro, the concern of leaving the place, his love of the landscape, how he’s an explorer, and how he’s mesmerized by the beautiful and almost mythical jaguar. Sadly, jaguars have been hunted by people but Aerenilso’s ranch is different. He lives on a conservation ranch where the cowboys and Panthera’s scientists are working together to show that ranching and jaguars can coexist in this magical place. My Pantanal is the first film project fully produced by Panthera, and is part of our conservation media efforts. Panthera aims to create cost effective, relevant, and inspired media that is rooted in conservation for local, and for wider, audiences. My Pantanal has been recognized at numerous film festivals, in the US and internationally, and recently won the Best Children’s Natural History Production Award at the Wild Talk Africa Film Festival (where it was also nominated for Best Short). My Pantanal was also the winner of the Best Children’s Program Award from the International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula, Montana. This summer the film was …