Richard Ladkani

Richard Ladkani

Days of Fire brings to the forefront the collective struggle to protect the Amazon Rainforest from unprecedented destruction and exploitation. Drawing inspiration from the themes explored in the upcoming documentary AMAZÔNIA, by acclaimed filmmaker Richard Ladkani, this exhibition aims to showcase the resilience, courage, and unity of the indigenous communities and environmental defenders in their fight to safeguard their homeland and the world’s most vital ecological treasure.

Days of Fire offers a profound journey through a series of powerful images that capture the essence of resistance against the forces threatening the Amazon. It highlights the symbiotic relationship between the rainforest’s guardians and the natural world they strive to protect, emphasizing the critical role of indigenous wisdom and collective action in confronting environmental challenges.

Days of Fire is an exhibition immersing visitors in the beauty and the plight of the Amazon, giving insight into the tireless efforts of those who stand on the front lines of conservation. It is a narrative of hope and perseverance, demonstrating how united efforts can make a significant impact in the battle against illegal gold mining, deforestation, and corporate greed.

Days of Fire is not just a photo exhibition; it is a call to awareness and action. It serves as a reminder of the urgent need for global cooperation in the preservation of the Amazon Rainforest, highlighting the importance of standing in solidarity with environmental defenders around the world.

Richard Ladkani is an independent Austrian director and cinematographer, known for documentary films such as Sea of Shadows or The Ivory Game.

Sea of Shadows, a National Geographic documentary, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2019. The film illustrates how Mexican drug cartels and the Chinese Mafia, have declared war on one of the worlds most beautiful ecosystems, which Jacques Cousteau once called „The Aquarium of the World“ and the extinction of the vaquita, the smallest whale on earth.

The NETFLIX Original The Ivory Game, also executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2017 and won numerous prizes including the Genesis, the Cinema for Peace Award and the Golden Panda. This investigative thriller-doc, on the illegal trade of ivory and the extinction of elephants, had its world premiers at the prestigious Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals and helped bring an end to the legal ivory trade in China.

Jane’s Journey was shortlisted for Academy Award. Other renowned films include Escape over the Himalayas, The Devil’s Miner, Vatican – The Hidden World and Gas Monopoly.

Richard Ladkani has photographed more than 50 documentaries, of which he directed or co-directed eleven. In early 2015 Richard and his wife Anita Ladkani founded Malaika Pictures. The name is the Swahili word for „Angel“ and also the middle name of their first-born daughter. Malaika Pictures produces films that shine a bright spotlight on the most pressing environmental and political issues of our time.  Their newest project in development is a narrative feature film based on the bestselling book City of Thorns. It’s a Romeo & Julia type love story, that focuses on the life of refugees in the living hell of Dadaab (Kenya), the largest UN Camp in the world. Richard Ladkani lives with his wife and two daughters in Baden bei Wien.