Behind the scenes of “East African Safari”
This March 21-22, the Wisconsin Union Theater has the honor of premiering Rick Ray’s film East African Safari as part of the Union’s Travel Adventure Film Series. We interviewed Ray to get background information on him and the film.
Ray says that his film career started in fifth grade, when his teacher brought an 8mm camera to class and gave students permission to make films in place of hand-written assignments. After this experience, Ray said, “I was hooked.”
He went on to create numerous films, perhaps the most notable of which is the biographical documentary “10 Questions for The Dalai Lama.” He also recently completed a feature documentary on theMedical Marijuana controversy in California.
What makes Ray especially intriguing is his refusal to eliminate politics from his films. He says “I don’t shy away from political observations as some travel films do, because I think the audience I am speaking to is, by nature, very curious, intelligent, and well-travelled. I never underestimate their intelligence, especially the well-informed audiences here at UW-Madison.”
This particular film was inspired by Ray’s love of animals. “I have always wanted to go on a safari and make a film. I am an animal lover and being so close to these amazing creatures in the wild was too thrilling to pass up.” But the film does not neglect the human element: “I also love the African people and have had great previous experiences in Morocco and Ethiopia. Going to east Africa seemed the next step,” says Ray, who used to “travel the world with a backpack, camera and notebook, recording the images and stories of the people I met.”
Of his experience bringing his films to the Wisconsin Union Theater, Ray says “I love to come to UW-Madison. I think it’s the most beautiful of the Big Ten schools and the audiences here are very well informed, open-minded, and experienced in traveling the world.” That said, he admits to getting lost more in Madison than anywhere else. “With the capitol dome in the center of everything, and lakes on every side, I just get dizzy and always end up on the east side instead of the west and vice versa.”
When asked if there was one thing he wanted audience members to take away from this film, Ray responded, “A sense of the beauty and majesty of this part of Africa. An appreciation for the human and animal wonders of our planet – and maybe even a desire to go there and visit for themselves!”
Elewana – Africa Luxury Safari Film (Rick Ray) from Rick Ray on Vimeo.
Learn more about the performance
You can also join us for a special pre-performance presentation by Rick Ray at noon on March 22nd. This is a free event sponsored by Wisconsin Union Mini-Courses and features the acclaimed film maker talking about his experiences with the Dali Lama and creating his latest film, East African Safari, which has its world premier. Learn more
