Two filmmakers awarded for hard work

BRYANSTON – The documentary film, STROOP and its producers, Bonné de Bod, who is a Bryanston resident and Susan Scott recently won the ATKV Media Veertjie Award for the insert they produced about the road rules in the Kruger National Park.

This piece, aired on SABC 2’s environmental programme 50/50 and won in the Best Factual Insert category, adding to the multiple awards that the STROOP team have to their name. The ATKV Media Veertjie Awards celebrate the role the media plays in society by recognising excellence in print, digital, TV and electronic media.

“We’d been spending a lot of time filming for STROOP in Kruger and while we were there, both Susan and I noticed an increasing number of road kill,” explained De Bod. She added that the complete disregard for the rules on the road inside this pristine wilderness is shocking. “So, we felt that we had to do this story and bring awareness to the public,” said De Bod.

Scott explained that the team came across people hanging out of cars, driving off road, getting out of their cars, feeding the animals, behaving badly at sightings by yelling and honking. “The more we collected this footage, the more we said to each other that we should do a story for 50/50,” said Scott. Accompanied by SANParks management while filming, the insert aimed to educate the public about how best to respect and enjoy the wildlife in the Kruger National Park, simply by obeying the rules of the road.

De Bod said that she is delighted with the win. “The win means excellence in our industry and recognition by our peers as well, so this is a huge honour,” concluded De Bod. Winning is certainly becoming a habit for the STROOP team.

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