EXPLORE TEAM
and causes around the world. He holds a Master's degree from USC's School of Cinema-Television and a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University. Known for his live nature camera network described as "the Netflix of live nature," Weingarten returned to narrative filmmaking to document a rare four-day encounter with Dr. Biruté Galdikas at Camp Leakey in Borneo, shot entirely on iPhones. Saving Our Ancestors is the result.
Charles Annenberg Weingarten (Director/Producer) is a filmmaker and philanthropist who has directed and produced more than 300 short films through Explore.org, the multimedia branch of the Annenberg Foundation he founded to spotlight nonprofits
cinematic flair, fusing the sensibilities of both genres he's worked in. On Saving Our Ancestors that approach earned the trust of Dr. Biruté Galdikas, opening access to her conversations and daily process with the orangutans in a way rarely afforded to outside cameras.
Adam Biddle (Camera/Sound) is a cinematographer whose career spans major Hollywood productions and the intimate, cause-driven work of Explore.org. Over years of documentary work he has developed an instinct for capturing candid moments with
Angeles. When the Explore.org crew arrived to film, he coordinated location access and OFI staff while operating a second camera, functioning as the production's essential guide on the ground. His lifelong intimacy with Camp Leakey and its orangutans gave the film an access and authenticity no outsider could have provided.
Fred Galdikas (Camera, Field Coordinator) grew up at Camp Leakey, raised alongside the orangutans his mother devoted her life to protecting. As Director of the Orangutan Foundation International, he now carries forward her conservation legacy across Indonesia and Los
