An intergenerational journey through West Africa's conservancy saga.

Umoja tells Jonny Baxendale's unique story for the first time.

Narrated by Tatu, a Maasai warrior and longtime friend of Jonny's, our film depicts the intense relationship between wildlife and people across four generations in East Africa. Using Tatu’s unique Massai perspective as a bridge between the past and the future, we will reignite the spirit of the Born Free story through Jonny’s eyes to see how it has shaped the belief systems of people today and contributed to the overall framework of ecology in Eastern Africa from old to new.

The film will be split into four key chapters: the historical and observational perspective of the caretakers of these lands, the Maasai. Followed by the arrival of George & Joy Adamson to the formative time spent with Jonny Baxendale (Georges godson); his endeavours to build meaningful relationships with the Maasai and Samburu people; and the forging of a new generation of local land defenders, concluding with Dr Paula Kahumbu & Trish Sewe.

This is a coming-of-age film about a series of human stories all connected through a drive for renewed hope in a shared future.

A biopic about the man behind the real Born Free story.

George Alexander Graham Adamson was born on 3 February 1906 in Etawah, India, to English and Irish parents. He was educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham, England and moved to work on his father's coffee plantations in Kenyain 1924. After the death of his parents in the mid-1920s, two young men formed an unrivalled friendship after reaching the shores of East Africa. Nevill Baxendale & George Adamson bonded as soon as they met. The two went on to experience countless adventures together as they searched for gold and hunted. As they grew older and attached themselves to the natural world, their sole focus evolved into conservation.

George worked a series of jobs, which included time as a gold prospector, a goat trader and a professional safari hunter, before joining Kenya's wildlife department in 1938, working as a game warden. Six years later, he married Friederike Victoria "Joy" Gessner. It was in 1956 that they raised the lioness cub, Elsa, whom they helped to release into the wild and became the subject of the 1966 feature film 'Born Free', based on the book by Joy.

Adamson retired as a Senior Wildlife Warden of the Northern Frontier District Province of Kenya (Meru National Parkarea) in 1963. He then turned to devoting himself to raising lions that could not look after themselves and training them to survive in the wild. In 1970, he moved to the Kora National Reserve in northern Kenya to continue the rehabilitation of captive and orphaned big cats for eventual reintroduction into the wild. George and Joy separated in 1970 but continued to spend Christmas holidays together until she was murdered on 3 January 1980. George himself was later murdered by bandits on 20th August 1989.

MAIN-CHARACTER: Jonny Baxendale was born in Kenya in 1944 and sailed to South Africa's Cape Town as a young man. Living life as a free spirit, he found adventure in surfing and diving. However Jonny found his true calling after becoming a pilot, where he uncovered a passion for aerial photography, which took him around the world.

One day a surprise letter came from his godfather, George Adamson, who asked him to return to Kenya and assist him with raising and rehabilitating a pride of seven lions (seen in the movie "Born Free"). The result was a unique understanding of lion behaviour, which naturally led to a greater understanding of how man and nature can exist together. Jonny became a professional photographer and developed a commitment to preserve the delicate balance between humans and the natural world he observed through his lens.

Jonny went on to found Royal African Safaris, a venture that combined his conservation dedication and the responsibility he felt to build a connection with local Kenyans. Jonny was the first person to ensure Samburu and Maasai warriors were at the heart of a safari operation, putting them in positions of great responsibility as guides and spotters.

With more than 30 years of wildlife conservation experience, the safari business and documentation, Jonny is an honorary warden of the Kenya Wildlife Service. He continues to work with conservation projects and local initiatives. The baton that was once passed to him many years ago now finds itself in the hand of the next generation of local Kenyans.