DENÉA BUCKINGHAM

Denéa is an Australian-American filmmaker, explorer, and current student of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Southern Queensland. Denéa’s career goal is
to use the storytelling power of filmmaking, together with scientific principles and exploration, to build global empathy that celebrates our cultural differences.
Denéa’s exploration experience unites with her work as a filmmaker and storyteller. She co-founded the ‘Discover Humanity’ project which has documented cultures in more than 15 countries since its creation asking people from all walks of life, “What message would you like to send to the rest of the world?”. Created with the Darklands Foundation in the Bocas del Toro region of Panama, Denéa’s short film ‘Food Sovereignty’ focused on the rainforest-integrated non-invasive agricultural strategies implemented by the Ngäbe-Buglé community during the COVID-19 pandemic and screened at the 2021 World Rainforest Day symposium. Recently completed in conjunction with the Lao Elephant Initiative, the World Wide Fund for Nature – Laos, and World Animal Protection, Denéa’s short film ‘Walking Each Other Home’ that looks at the shifting paradigm of elephant tourism and conservation in Laos which will release in 2022.
Academically, Denéa aims to complete a Ph.D. in the field
of Linguistic Anthropology, specifically focusing on the emerging field of Ecolinguistics and language’s application for environmental conservation. As a filmmaker, she aims to use these scientific principles in order to build films that inform, educate, and endear audiences to better understanding the interconnected nature of humans and the environment we come from.