A lifelong photographer, Vanessa grew up in South Africa, inspired by the
natural world. After attending film school in Cape Town, she immigrated to
the United States to gain further experience working as producer and
cameraman for NBC, Fox, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. She was Assistant Producer on Discovery’s two-time Emmy award-winning “Wolves at our Door.”
Frustrated with mainstream media's reluctance to air contentious and
truthful subject matter, Vanessa created 21st Paradigm, which became
incorporated as a non-profit organization in February 2001.
In addition to 24 official film festival selections, Vanessa is the
recipient of twelve awards, including Best of Festival and Best Documentary
awards. Her most successful film, “Cost of Freedom,” an exposé about wolf
reintroduction and the gross exploitation of wildlife by powerful right-wing
political factions, inspired judges at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film
Festival to create a special jury award “for a filmmaker with the courage to
pursue a difficult and controversial topic.” Her films and related
campaigns, in particular “Cull of the Wild: The Truth behind Trapping”
(available on PETA TV), have made significant contributions in the legal
struggle to protect animals.
With “Lost Dogs”, her fifth independent film, Vanessa continues to give
voice to the animals she seeks to protect.
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