THE TEAM

DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHER

Courtney is an award-winning American documentary filmmaker, journalist, and wildlife biologist. She directed GUARDIAN, a documentary that grapples with the erosion of federal science programs in Canada. GUARDIAN won Best Documentary Feature at the SF IndieFest and the Audience Choice Award at the Eugene Environmental Film Festival. Courtney produced Generation Growth, which explores how social determinants of health affect children’s learning success. The film won the Indiana Spotlight Award at the Heartland International Film Festival.

Courtney reported for the Associated Press in Johannesburg and Al Jazeera in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post and the New York Times.

Prior to filmmaking, Courtney was a wildlife biologist. She studied farmer-primate conflict in Ethiopia, fur seal populations in New Zealand, and urban coyote habitat selection in Chicago. She has a M.S. in Wildlife Management and an M.A. in Journalism. Courtney completed two years of a PhD in wildlife ecology before switching careers. www.courtneyquirin.com

PRODUCER

Maynard is an experienced South African film and television producer and director, with a strong worldwide network across producers, writers, film sales companies, development, and funding agencies. He has a demonstrable history in shepherding projects from inception, through development and production to delivery. He is an expert at script development and managing writing rooms, production and post-production workflow, and large teams. Maynard founded West Five Films in 2012 in response to the growing number of locally produced feature films in South Africa: www.westfivefilms.com

CINEMATOGRAPHER/FIELD PRODUCER

Stu specializes in adventure cinematography, documentary, and commercials. Stu’s documentary credits include Tiger King (4 episodes) and Napoleon v Napoleon. Brand clients include Bestbuy, Netflix, Doordash, Four Seasons, Buick, The Golden State Warriors, The City of Oakland, Method Soap, The Final Straw, and Vode Lighting.

FIELD PRODUCER

Rabiah is an emerging South African storyteller, environmental journalist and natural history documentary filmmaker. She recently participated in the NEWF Wild Science Media Lab where she co-produced Hooked: On Heavy Metal, a short story spotlighting the critical importance of communication between researchers and local communities to enhance the conservation action of Nile crocodiles in St. Lucia.

Rabiah is an experienced conservationist and science communicator. She has worked on combatting the illegal trade of sea turtle eggs in Malaysia, understanding the population dynamics of great white sharks in South Africa, and investigating the impact of climate change on the foraging ecology of Cape gannets at the largest gannetry in the world. She has an undergraduate in Conservation and an MSc and PhD in Zoology from Nelson Mandela University. She is currently doing her second MA on the security nexus of environment, climate, food and conflict with a focus on Africa through King’s College London.