Painteddog.tv is based in Hoedspruit, and from the start we chose a different path. Most production companies in this space rely on fact after fact after fact. We find those facts endlessly interesting but stack them up and you end up preaching to the choir. Where is the sense in that?

So, we decided to connect with people the way people connect with each other: through raw emotion. Heart carries urgency further than any statistic ever could. Our films build characters‚ the people involved, yes, but more importantly the animals themselves. Get an audience to care about one animal, and they will care about the whole species. Humans connect through stories. Conservation is no different.

That is the ethos and we thought we’d give it a whirl. And the whirl came sooner than expected, when a story happened to us, instead of us going looking for one.

“Bucket: The Lion Cub”

This was a film we sat with for a long time, examining every frame and every decision with a fine-toothed comb. Usually, you want to leave an audience with questions, to send them out reflecting, maybe even acting. This time we did not.

Why?

Because the film centres on a moral dilemma our team faced in the field.

Over three weeks in the Reitspruit Game Reserve, we followed a tiny lion cub and wrestled with one question: do we stay objective observers and leave a vulnerable cub to the fate nature dealt it, or do we act on what we know and try to give it a real chance in the wild?

Bucket had just been born, tucked safely in its mother’s den. Then the curious cub wandered off and found itself trailing three powerful male lions, relatively new to the reserve. The situation turned complicated fast. Lion populations are declining across Africa. So, what was the right thing to do?

There was no easy answer, and we carried the weight of that choice long after the cameras stopped rolling. The film lays the whole thing bare, the decision, and everything that followed.

The International Tourism Film Festival

Armed with “Bucket: The Lion Cub” and another production, “Cheetahs: Race to Return”, I arrived at the International Tourism Film Festival proud of what our team had pulled off. I also knew we were up against some of the biggest names in wildlife and conservation storytelling. A pat on the back was all I really expected, and that alone would have left my cheeks rosy and my heart full.

The week that followed was a gift. I dug into new approaches to the craft, celebrated the Kruger National Park’s birthday, and sat in on conversations about the sheer range a story can cover, from tourism campaigns and murder mysteries to influencer vlogs and, of course, wildlife and conservation films.

Awards Evening

Then awards evening arrived faster than a cold front.

There I sat, among peers, competitors, comrades, and some of our greatest and newest supporters. When “Cheetahs: Race to Return” took the Silver Award in the Documentary, TV and Web: Wildlife and Conservation category, I was stoked.

As I dropped back into my seat, award in hand and a grin slapped across my face, Painteddog.tv was called up again!

This time “Bucket: The Lion Cub” took – wait for it – Gold, same category!

And did I do a pack call on stage? Oh yes. Of course I did. And surely that was the end of Painteddog.tv’s night. Surely?

I settled back to watch the Pinnacle Award, the festival’s highest honour, handed to the best film overall, regardless of category.

Can you hear the drumroll building?

I looked around the room at all these extraordinary storytellers, mountains of the industry, and wondered whose work had cut the deepest. I had not even seen the winning film, so how was I going to track it down?

Then came the announcement – “Bucket: The Lion Cub” had won!

Walking up to accept it on behalf of the whole team, everyone who poured themselves into bringing the story to life, the effort, the long hours, the pain, the dilemma, the achievement of completion – I could almost hear our pack whooping us on from afar.

The pat on the back I had hoped for had arrived – except it felt less like a pat and more like a giant bear hug, from the storytelling community, and from every supporter who has stood with us over the years.

Now, the question everyone asks: where can they watch “Bucket: The Lion Cub”? If you are in Europe in January 2027, you will be able to catch it there. We have not locked in an African broadcaster – yet – but hold onto that word, “yet”. 

The moment we do, we will tell you exactly when to tune in.

Rebecca  Christensen – Group Creative Director

For a documentary, a marketing film, a live event, a team-building production, or a quirky web series: Email rebecca@painteddog.tv or check out the website at: https://www.painteddog.tv