For over 20 years, natural history photographer Adam Oswell and
journalist Ben Davies have documented the illegal wildlife trade, rapid loss of biodiversity and the looming threat of zoonotic pandemics.
Through perseverance, risk and carefully cultivated relationships with those fighting to restore balance as well as those at the criminal end of the spectrum, they have gained access to places, people and perspectives unseen by the public and hidden from the headlines.
Targeted for release alongside the 2027 launch of the landmark Salvation book and global exhibition programme, this behind-the-scenes documentary shadows Adam and Ben's continued fieldwork across Africa, Australia, Europe, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia. Utilising their closely protected access channels and extensive in-country knowledge, we step through a back door into a complex world of crisis, conservation and fractured coexistence. Exploring their methods and motivations takes us into the stories behind the stories they have spent more than two decades documenting.
Approved for fiscal sponsorship by Documentary Australia
Project #59213
why now
We believe change only happens when we care about what is at stake but in order to care, we must first understand what is happening from all sides. Despite the seemingly impossible task of regaining ecological equilibrium, the Salvation Project is a message of hope, highlighting nature's remarkable regenerative abilities and celebrating the people dedicating their lives to conservation against the odds.
Wildlife trafficking, biodiversity loss and zoonotic disease risks are among the defining environmental challenges of our time. The human impact will be felt most painfully by upcoming generations whose perception of environmental degradation is continually warped by shifting baseline syndrome.
As a trusted filmmaking team, we are uniquely positioned to go behind the scenes to share decades of knowledge and understanding gathered through long-term fieldwork around the world, not only by Adam and Ben but also those they encounter on their intrepid journeys. From teams operating in border regions impacted by wildlife trafficking to scientists, ecologists and Indigenous communities protecting knowledge, culture and landscapes, we witness first-hand what it takes to continually confront these challenges, raise awareness capable of influencing policy, strengthen scientific understanding and empower a new generation of conservationists.
A Living Story
Where the art of creative filmmaking meets real-world impact, we seek to deliver context and nuance around ongoing critical issues that are reduced to statistics, obscured by competing agenda-bias narratives and disconnected from the consequences, or hidden from public awareness altogether.
This documentary is an integral pillar within a broader long-term storytelling ecosystem including the landmark Salvation book, global exhibitions and an evolving digital platform. Rather than concluding two decades of work, the documentary establishes the foundation for the next chapter.
The strength of the wider Salvation Project is reflected in the calibre of globally revered contributors and partners already involved. Principle amongst these key contributors is Dr Jane Goodall, whose urgent foreword for the book reinforces the need for greater awareness and action and whose institution continues to provide access to restricted conservation regions in Africa. The iconic photography of Sebastião Salgado has been officially approved for inclusion across the book, exhibitions and this documentary, providing a key ethical and visual stance. Alongside them are longstanding partnerships the IFAW and the WAP.
vision and impact
This is not gratuitous shock reportage or a sweeping saviour narrative; instead, we aim to cultivate a sense of ecological urgency, especially within upcoming generations who will soon be carrying the torch.
Our agile, run-and-gun approach is about maximum involvement and minimum intrusion, prioritising embedded access to capture events as they unfold, rather than staged interviews, technical set-ups or reconstructions. Instead of straying into a web of statistics or academic rhetoric, we aim to convey complexity through the tension, curiosity and revelation of field conditions, heightened by recollections of confronting realities, unshakeable memories and the embers of hope that fuel the Salvation Project.
Personal archives from Bangkok in the 1990s will trace the origins of Adam and Ben’s work and an immersive soundscape recorded in the field will be woven around candid voiceover, keeping an audience embedded with us on the journey.
By revealing how critical stories are discovered, how trust is built, how access is carefully gained and how to operate in complex cultural, environmental and political landscapes, we focus on process, relationships and coexistence to give the documentary lasting relevance beyond immediate events and media cycles. This work is conceived as a long-term resource for educators, researchers and future storytellers interested in the realities behind environmental reporting, conservation and field-based investigation.
Words by Tom Ansell, documentary producer and story editor.
NICKY AKEHURST
Director and Cinematographer
Through character-driven narratives exploring themes of resilience, innovation and cultural identity, I focus on climate action, conservation, sustainable living practices and the vital preservation of human skills and ancient wisdom.
My filmmaking is rooted in the patient, long-form observation of direct cinema and the intimate immersion of vérité style. An audience should see, feel and hear things just as I do in the field, so my agile, run-and-gun approach is about maximum involvement, minimum intrusion, enabling me to capture lived experience as it unfolds, rather than staged interviews, technical set-ups or reconstructions.
TOM ANSELL
Producer and Story Editor
I am drawn to the corners where truth hides, to the everyday characters with a curious story to tell and the underdogs giving it a crack despite the odds. In geographically challenging and culturally sensitive environments where context and responsible representation are essential for a balanced story, my intention is to translate the sense of discovery that we as a team experience in the field. I seek to deliver artful documentary storytelling shaped by perspective-altering nuances, to cultivate meaningful human connection and deeper understanding across a broad audience, from the general public to policymakers.