Almost
a decade after it was produced, New Chimpanzees (1995) is still considered
the definitive film on chimpanzee cultural traditions. Odzala: Islands
in the Forest (1999) was essential in convincing the government of the
Republic of Congo to expand that park to four times its original size.
Living with Gorillas (2000) was the first film to document the behavior
of Western Lowland Gorillas. She was part of the team that produced
the Emmy nominated Discover Magazine (1995-1999) science series. Her
two-hour special Gorillas: Primal Contact(2003) is the first film to
cover all three recognized subspecies of gorillas.
Her work in Africa and around the world has motivated her to become
more involved in conservation serving as a consultant for the Bushmeat
Crisis Task Force, producing several short films for The Wildlife Conservation
Society on conservation issues in central Africa, and more recently
as founder of the International Conservation and Education Fund whose
mission is to integrate conservation and health issues through grassroots
outreach education.
Before becoming a filmmaker, Cynthia worked for CBS 60 Minutes as an
associate producer traveling from Burma to Ghana to the Soviet Union.
She also worked as an assignment editor for ABC News’ London Bureau
handling news coverage in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She holds
a Masters Degree in Journalism from Stanford University, attended Columbia
University Teacher’s College where she received a Masters in Educational
Media and Technology, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ivory Coast,
West Africa, and worked as a stringer for various newspapers in the
western Massachusetts while teaching English in the public school system.
She lives in Washington DC, and is currently working on a book combining
wildlife filmmaking with conservation concerns focusing on the recent
Ebola outbreaks in the Republic of Congo.