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Where giraffes and Maasai guardians stand watch over the East African savanna.
Across the dramatic rift-valley plains of northern Tanzania, two sentinels—endangered Masai giraffes and the Maasai communities who live among them—share a fragile peace. Sentinels of Engaruka captures this delicate coexistence at a moment when shifting weather, invasive plants, and development pressures all test the balance.
About the Film
Sentinels of Engaruka is directed by award-winning Tanzanian filmmaker Hans Cosmas Ngoteya and offers a rare window into daily life in the Engaruka Valley. We meet a family of Maasai herders as they navigate the dry season alongside endangered giraffes that have watched over this place for thousands of years. Along the way, we see how survival here depends not on separation, but on sharing of land, water, and responsibility.
With sweeping aerials, quiet moments, and nature in all its richness, Sentinels of Engaruka brings to life a landscape where African People & Wildlife has spent decades working for coexistence in partnership with local communities.
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Watch the Trailer
Step into a story of balance, resilience, and reverence for land and its history.
The official trailer premieres on June 21, 2025.
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For Everyone, Everywhere
Sentinels of Engaruka premieres this fall in Tanzania, the United States, and online, with full translations in English, Kiswahili, and Maa.
Want to share this story with your school, organization, or audience? Whether you're a conservation group, cultural center, zoo, safari company, or business that cares about the future of people and wildlife, we’d love to explore hosting or sponsoring a screening.
Special Thanks
This film was made possible thanks to the generosity of visionary donors and the trust, hospitality, and partnership of the communities in Engaruka and Oldonyo Lengai. We are deeply grateful to the individuals and families who welcomed our team—sharing stories, meals, and their knowledge of the land, wildlife, history, and Maasai culture.
Many thanks to Wild Nature Institute for their invaluable giraffe expertise and ongoing work to protect giraffes across Tanzania. We are also appreciative of the support and insights from Marguerite Smits van Oyen and Dr. Robert Marchant.
Finally, we honor the community rangeland monitors who support their villages in protecting grasslands in more than 50 communities across northern Tanzania.
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The Team
Sentinels of Engaruka is a collaboration between African People & Wildlife (APW) and Ngoteya Wild. Led by Hans Cosmas Ngoteya, Ngoteya Wild is an award-winning Tanzanian production house that seeks to tell stories that will impact and positively promote the protection of the world’s natural resources.
Founded in Tanzania in 2005, APW works hand in hand with communities and other partners to create a healthier and more sustainable world—protecting wildlife, investing in people, and restoring balance to Africa’s vital ecosystems like the Engaruka Valley.
Credits for Sentinels of Engaruka
Director
Hans Cosmas Ngoteya
Executive Producers
African People & Wildlife
Ngoteya Wild
Producers
Aidan Williams
Vanessa Lovenburg Ngoteya
Production Managers
Emmily Tunuka
Katy Teson
Molly Dodge
English Narrator
Rose Kellen
Writers
Megan Brownrigg
Aidan Williams
Main Characters
Baraka Lesineti
Maria Mollel
Yohana Lengiteng Mollel
Family Members
Meheti Lesineti
Lahalei Lesineti
Seneiyo Lesineti
Losidani Lesineti
Kerendeni Lesineti
Esa Lesineti
Mukanaa Lesineti
Researchers
Tabitha Kabora
Robert Marchant
Daryl Stump
Wild Nature Institute
Giraffe Specialists
Wild Nature Institute
James Martin Madeli
Camera
Edger Edward Msyani
Hans Cosmas Ngoteya
Eliya Lawrence Uzia
Emmily Tunuka
Editor
Collin Sweetbert
Photographers
Komal Ghazaali
Eliya Lawrence Uzia
Sound Engineer
Noizmekah Production Studios
Sound Recordist
Ngoteya Wild Team
Animation and Maps
Khalid Majandi
David Castico