client: The McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophydate published: Jul 12, 2022 content type: Documentaries
documentary
Biognosis
Documentary, 32 minutes
Biognosis is a film series that shares stories of people who study, use, and protect the healing plants that surround the Amazonian community of Iquitos, Peru at a time when the traditional knowledge is being lost as rapidly as the Amazon Rainforest itself.
Executive Producer: Greg Hemmings and Steve Foster
Producer: Elaine Shannon
Director:Greg Hemmings / Christina Chaya
Streaming globally on GAIA Media and featured across top environmental platforms.
The Challenge
Housed within the Herbarium of the Amazon in Iquitos, Peru, lies an immensely important collection of over 150,000 biological specimens. Embedded in this physical archive is centuries of priceless, irreplaceable knowledge on how Indigenous peoples utilize these native plants for physical and spiritual healing. However, traditional knowledge is currently being lost as rapidly as the Amazon Rainforest itself due to the compounding threats of globalization, climate change, and aggressive tourism. The McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy launched a massive effort to physically renovate this herbarium, digitize the collection into a globally accessible database, and even map it into an interactive VR environment. To fund this ambitious global initiative, they needed a powerhouse visual asset that could introduce the project to investors, scientists, and ethnobotanical enthusiasts worldwide.
Our Approach
We leaned heavily into our deep roots as an impact-driven B Corp, utilizing our 1% for the Planet commitment to co-produce, direct, and deliver a cinematic documentary short titled BioGnosis: Bridges to Ancestral Wisdom.
Embedded Jungle Production: Our team traveled deep into Peru to the Herbarium Amazonense of the National University of the Peruvian Amazon and its surrounding communities. We embedded with native wisdom keepers, local youth, and ethnobotanical pioneers to document a respectful, eye-opening dialogue about the current state of Amazonian traditional medicine.
Cinematic Technical Rigor: Narrated by renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Dennis McKenna, the film beautifully balances the genius of modern science with the sacred traditions of the elders. We used breathtaking cinematography, drone piloting, and intimate sound design to capture the frequencies of the jungle, elevating the documentary past a standard nonprofit explainer into an artistic masterpiece.
Global Distribution Placement: Back in the studio, we polished the documentary for global markets, successfully landing the film’s distribution on premier streaming networks like GAIA Media.
We are so excited to share that we won first place in Psychedelic Music and Film Festival in New York City for Biognosis. The documentary was a passion piece and we're thrilled it was so well received."
The Impact
Our collaboration provided the McKenna Academy with a foundational, globally recognized media asset that serves as the visual spearhead for their fundraising and preservation campaign. By launching the Biognosis trailer and short film across international channels and podcasts, the project has garnered widespread global support to aid in sorting, categorizing, and photographing the 150,000 specimens. By translating complex botanical science and indigenous medicine into an emotionally undeniable, cinematic call-to-action, our work has helped secure the vital awareness needed to protect this reservoir of ancestral wisdom for generations to come.
