Two award nominations, one powerful opportunity to put Botswana on the global filmmaking map. For Paradise in Peril, the real prize is not just recognition, it is getting the world to listen to the people behind the country’s conservation story.
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
A local documentary has earned international recognition, but its biggest achievement could be what happens beyond the awards stage. Botswana: Paradise in Peril has secured nominations for Best Editing and Best Cinematography at the 2026 Kingdom in the Sky Conservation International Film Festival (KITS-CIFF), giving local filmmaking and community-centred conservation storytelling a valuable global platform.
For producer Moabi Mogorosi, the nominations matter because they put Botswana’s creative capabilities and the people whose lives shape the documentary in front of international audiences.
MORE THAN AN AWARD NOD
“For me this nomination means that the film gets visibility, which is good for the work and the people in it,” Mogorosi said in an interview.
Commissioned by the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association (BWPA) and produced by local company ABI Films, the documentary examines the successes of Botswana’s wildlife conservation efforts alongside the challenges faced by communities living with wildlife.
It explores the role of marginal areas in conservation, including regulated sustainable hunting, and how rural communities benefit from these programmes. It also enters the international debate around hunting as a conservation tool, challenging calls from anti-hunting lobby groups for blanket bans.
A REASON TO KEEP TELLING STORIES
Beyond international exposure, Mogorosi sees the recognition as encouragement for Botswana filmmakers to pursue advocacy-driven productions rather than take the easier creative route.
“It’s also an encouragement to the makers that they must continue in doing works of advocacy that speaks for the people because its easier to take a simpler route,” he said.
That message gives the nominations significance beyond the technical categories. KITS-CIFF celebrates filmmaking around environmental protection, climate action and conservation, making the documentary’s recognition an opportunity to amplify a distinctly Botswana perspective.
For Mogorosi, the nomination is proof that local stories deserve international consideration. And perhaps that is the bigger victory: Botswana is not simply providing the scenery for the world’s wildlife documentaries. It has stories, filmmakers and perspectives worth putting centre stage.