As a young man, US-born Louis Sarno heard a song on the radio that gripped his imagination. He followed the mysterious sounds back to the Central African rainforest, found his music with the Bayaka pygmies – and never came back. Today, 25 years later, Louis is a full member of this community of hunters and gatherers.
Louis has a son with a Bayaka woman, 13-year-old Samedi. As a baby, Samedi became seriously sick. As he lay dying, Louis held him the whole night and promised him: “If you survive, I will show you the world I come from.” Now it is time to keep his promise, and so Louis travels with his son from the African rainforest to a different jungle made of concrete– to New York City.

SXSW Eco Recommendation

Director: Michael Obert

Executive Producer: Alex Tondowski, Percy Vogel

Producer: Alex Tondowski, Ira Tondowski, Heino Deckert

Screenwriter: Michael Obert

Cinematographer: Siri Klug

Editor: Wiebke Grundler

Sound Designer: Marian Mentrup

Additional Credits: Location Sound: Timo Selengia, Colorist: Jakob Wehrmann

Michael Obert is an award-winning German author and journalist. His journey from the source of the Niger to its mouth brought fame with his best-selling »Regenzauber«(On the River of Gods). Literary critics liken him to Bruce Chatwin and Jon Krakauer.
SONG FROM THE FOREST is his first film.

Sales Agent: Deckert Distribution GmbH

Public Film Contact
Alex Tondowski
Tondowski films & Friends
alex@tondowskifilms.de
+4917624548767