The 2014 documentary about rangers protecting mountain gorillas in Congo is Virunga.
Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, Virunga follows the rangers and staff of Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The park is home to some of the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas, but its conservation work takes place amid armed conflict, political instability, and pressure from commercial interests.
The film focuses on figures including park director Emmanuel de Merode, chief warden Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo, and gorilla caretaker André Bauma. Their work includes protecting wildlife, caring for orphaned gorillas, and defending the park during fighting connected to the M23 rebellion. The documentary also examines allegations surrounding oil exploration by the British company SOCO International, which denied wrongdoing.
Virunga is more than a wildlife film: it connects conservation to corruption, war, local livelihoods, and the personal risks faced by park employees. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014 and received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 87th Academy Awards. A common mix-up is Gorillas in the Mist, a dramatized biographical film about primatologist Dian Fossey, rather than this documentary about a Congolese national park.