Ahead of the World Environment Day on 5 of June, the European Union broadcasted two of the four Ai ba Futuru (Trees for the Future) film documentaries on GMNTV channel Morning Talk Show “Dader Kmanek”- three documentaries and one “Making of” film - about the importance of trees to agroforestry and climate change mitigation, and how they contribute to the creation of new livelihoods and a more sustainable future for people in Timor-Leste. 

The films  “Son of Manukoko, the Guardian of Trees” by Bernardino Soares, “Ai Ba Moris” by Tom Hill, “Three Trees, Three Stories” by Lena Lenzen and the ‘Making of’ “Three Stories, One Country, Beautiful Timor-Leste” by Jawad Rayyan, were produced with the support of the “Partnership for Sustainable Agroforestry (PSAF)/Ai ba Futuru”, co-financed by the European Union and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). These films convey an inspiring message of how local communities, with their wisdom, values and hard work are at the forefront of protecting and developing trees and forests in Timor-Leste thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, which is at the heart of the European Union Green Deal. 

All of the four films will be broadcasted on GMNTV and were screened last year in form of road show screenings to provide entertainment and information to the population, traveled to locations in the four target municipalities of the PSAF-Ai Ba Futuru project, which are Dili, Lautem, Ermera and Manatuto.
The films were selected for Climate and Environment related Film Festivals in Spain, Canada, USA, Netherlands and Brazil. 

About the three documentaries:
- The “Son of Manukoko – Guardian of the Trees” from Bernardino Soares features in a very artistic way a spiritual leader and healer on Atauro island who with his ancestral wisdom and knowledge of trees builds a bridge between humans and nature.

- “Three Trees, Three Stories” from Lena Lenzen, introduces us to the life of three rural farming communities in the region of Laclubar. It is narrated by the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Dr José Ramos-Horta and is a powerful tribute to Timor-Leste’s land, culture and traditions turned into livelihoods to create better lives for future generations.

- “Ai ba Moris” from Tom Hill takes us to the beautiful mountains of Baguia and introduces us to the importance and value of trees for the local community, from rituals to personal stories of survival during the Indonesian occupation.