Virunga | REVIEWS & PRESS |

Daniel Balint-Kurti, Nathaniel Dyer, Global Witness Sep 4, 2014

‘Drillers in the mist’: How secret payments and a climate of violence helped UK firm open African national park to oil

Martin Fletcher, The Telegraph Sep 6, 2014

"Virunga National Park has become the battleground in a new conflict, as conservationsists fight off the advances of rebel militias, poachers and a powerful oil company"

Kenji Fujishima, Slant Magazine Nov 3, 2014

"This is muckraking journalism that moves confidently with the brio of an action thriller."

Christiane Amanpour, Amanpour, CNN Apr 23, 2014

Worlds collide in central African World Heritage park

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice Nov 5, 2014

"The fights Virunga documents couldn't feel more urgent. This is one of the year's most compelling & important films"

Richard Branson, Desmond Tutu & Howard G. Buffett, Huffington Post Apr 27, 2014

"New Troubles at the Gates of Virunga - Oil exploration could be devastating to Africa's most iconic national park -- and its people."

John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter Apr 24, 2014

"A perspective on the ongoing conflict in the Congo we haven't yet seen: Orlando von Einsiedel's powerful Virunga depicts a band of national-park rangers as possibly the last line of defense against another foreign rape of the country's natural resources."

Emily Steel, New York Times Jul 28, 2014

"Netflix is picking up exclusive rights to the documentary “Virunga” as part of a broader push by the company to include more cause-related documentaries in its growing original programming lineup."

Kayla Caldwell, Mail Online Oct 26, 2014

"Mostly recently Leo teamed up with Netflix to release a documentary. Titled Virunga, the film documents gorilla preservation in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. He was an executive producer on the film, which will hit select theaters and Netflix streaming on November 7."

Stephen Saito, The Moveable Fest May 14, 2014

"Virunga crackles with excitement... what Von Einsiedel and crew have created here will stand the test of time."

Amanda Jones, LA Times May 30, 2014

"A new documentary titled "Virunga" exposes the behind-the-scenes skulduggery that occurs when the worlds of conservation and oil collide. Two days before the film's New York premiere in April, De Mérode, who has vigorously protected the park and its animals and opposes drilling, was ambushed and shot four times. Incredibly, he survived and lives on to fight the battle."

Jamie Merrill, Independent Nov 2, 2014

"Sir David added: "It would be extremely worrying if Virunga were to be exploited for oil. Not only would it threaten a park that is home to a vast range of wildlife, but it would also send a worrying signal for the future of other world heritage sites." His intervention comes only days before an award-winning documentary on the park, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, is released."

John Vidal, The Guardian Nov 5, 2014

"Virunga film-makers ask viewers to join campaign against oil company Soco"

Tom Roston, Doc Soup, POV Nov 5, 2014

"I saw Virunga, about a national forest in Congo where nearly half of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas exist... I was thrilled by its cinematic, nonfiction telling of the story of the park and the rangers who defend it from war, corruption and oil interests."

Randy Astle, Filmmaker Magazine Nov 5, 2014

"a stunning documentary about the park and rangers’ attempts to protect its wildlife from poachers, civil war, and a billion-dollar oil company"

Power Players, ABC/ Yahoo News Nov 6, 2014

"Gorilla war: The fight to protect the world's last mountain gorillas amid violence in DR Congo"

Nina Strochlic, Daily Beast Nov 6, 2014

"Emmanuel de Merode is fighting rebel armies and a powerful oil company to protect Virunga Park, its animals and its people. His allies? Prince William and Leonardo DiCaprio. But his enemies may be stronger."

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times Nov 6, 2014

"‘a searing documentary set in Congo... Showcasing the best and the worst in human nature, Orlando von Einsiedel’s devastating documentary 'Virunga' wrenches a startlingly lucid narrative from a sickening web of bribery, corruption and violence."

Sheri Linden, LA Times Nov 6, 2014

"urgent investigative report and unforgettable drama, 'Virunga' is a work of heart-wrenching tenderness and heart-stopping suspense."

Zeba Blay, Shadow and Act, Indiewire Nov 6, 2014

"part environmental documentary and part political thriller, an intense and overwhelming portrait of an African nation trying to rebuild itself in the wake of civil unrest and ongoing corruption from political leaders and foreigners alike."

Piya Sinha-Roy, Reuters Nov 6, 2014

"Netflix's 'Virunga' uncovers Congo's fight to protect resources"

Vibeke Venema, BBC News Nov 8, 2014

"My other children, the orphan gorillas of Virunga"

Tom Roston, Doc Soup, POV May 5, 2014

"Virunga is the best documentary I’ve seen this year. In fact, it is one of the best I’ve ever seen. For me, it’s the game changer that Stories We Tell and The Act of Killing were… if a movie has ever deserved to win both the best film as well as best documentary categories at the Oscars, then this is it."

Daniel Walber, NonFics Apr 24, 2014

"A triumph of storytelling… Virunga feels more like a late-season episode of Game of Thrones than a sober documentary.… Beautifully composed film.… Thrilling narrative success.…"

John Anderson, Indiewire Apr 24, 2014

"There’s no question, though, that 'Virunga' is first-rate, both in its gimlet-eyed storytelling and visual elegance."

Eric Kohn, Indiewire Apr 23, 2014

"Virunga unfolds with the elements of gripping ensemble drama."

Cristina Lule, Awards Circuit Apr 26, 2014

"I wouldn’t be surprised if Virunga gets an Oscar nomination"

Steve Pond, The Wrap Apr 20, 2014

"Beautiful, shattering... at times hard to watch but in the end impossible to shake."

Ronnie Scheib, Variety Jun 1, 2014

"With enough action, pathos, suspense, venal villains, stalwart heroes and endangered gorillas for a dozen fiction films, Orlando von Einsiedel’s extraordinary documentary 'Virunga' lays out the complex of deadly forces threatening the titular national park, an UNESCO-designated World Heritage site in eastern Congo."