Since 2021, the film Killing the Shepherd, an award-winning documentary film from Director Tom Opre, has resonated with a worldwide audience, connecting viewers with the positive relationship between animals and indigenous communities from the viewpoint of the Kingdom of Shikabeta of the Soli tribe in Zambia. The film has received more than 20 major awards and has been featured for inclusion in more than 40 film festivals around the globe.
The film has received wide recognition and reverence for its impact in telling the story of the people of Shikabeta and their ability to realize their most basic human rights through benefits garnered from their hard wildlife conservation work. Now, in July 2023, Killing the Shepherd will be released to an even larger audience to carry
that story forward through a special Viewfinder Independent film feature on the Valley Public Broadcasting Station (PBS).
"Killing the Shepherd is a triumph in storytelling and filmmaking. The stunning imagery and beauty of Africa are captured cinematically and become the backdrop for a tough, gritty, and relevant story that is timely and necessary for everyone to see. Opre brings a perfect balance of perspectives to the project to address the debates involved in, not only conservation but the fundamental rights of human beings trying to thrive,” stated Jeff Aiello, CEO of Valley PBS.
The film will be broadcast on July 16, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. PDT on Valley PBS in Fresno, California, and will be available to more than 1,000,000 households. This will be the first of many expected showings on Valley PBS and the entire PBS network this year.
“Through this film and others made possible through the nonprofit Shepherds of Wildlife Society, we are highlighting the issue of human rights surrounding wildlife and habitat conservation in remote Zambia and other countries around the world,” commented Tom Opre, director and also founder of Shepherds. “The opportunity to share this message and content to a larger audience through PBS is monumental and we are ecstatic to pursue this opportunity."
To read more about the broadcast and view local Valley PBS programming, please visit: https://valleypbs.org/tvschedules/.
To learn more about the Killing the Shepherd film or the Shepherds of Wildlife Society, please visit: https://www.shepherdsofwildlife.org/about-killing-the-shepherd.
