Joy: One Mother Two Families

Directed by Aner Etxebarria Moral

How would you feel if you were a mother of two families? A mother of a human family and of a wild family that decided thousands of years ago to live hidden, forever, in the heart of the forest. This is the story of Joy, a young ranger who combines the education of her two children, Favour and Abie, with her commitment for the protection of the only family of mountain gorillas that lives in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda. A family called Nyakagezi, formed by 9 of the approximately last 1,000 mountain gorillas still living in freedom on our planet. Day after day, Joy and her colleagues ensure the safety of these 9 great primates, preventing poaching from ending the lives of those with whom we share 98% of our DNA. So that tomorrow Favour and Abie can meet their brothers, the mountain gorillas, and inherit their mother’s legacy.