Cinematographer shares experience documenting African wildlife park

A childhood in East Africa gave Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Bob Poole a fierce curiosity about the natural world as well as an adventurous spirit.

Poole drew on that experience to document the rebirth of a lost Eden: Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, a jewel of Africa’s parks system until civil war almost destroyed it.

Join the acclaimed cinematographer and filmmaker for unforgettable images and stories of Gorongosa’s majestic animals — and learn how the wild places can be put back together — as part of the National Geographic Live speaker series on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wachholz College Center at Flathead Valley Community College.

At Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, Poole joined forces with rangers and scientists (including his sister, renowned elephant researcher Joyce Poole), on perhaps the biggest conservation project on the planet.

He’ll share secrets of filming lions, crocs, elephants, and spectacular scenery, and tell how he cracked the “Gorongosa code” — learning to read the landscape and find prime locations for filming the park’s spectacular wildlife.

The National Geographic Live speaker series gives audiences insight and behind-the-scenes stories straight from National Geographic's photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers. Each event takes place live on the McClaren Hall stage.

Tickets start at $38 per event. For more information visit wachholzcollegecenter.org.