Konoz Initiative Wins Two Platinum Awards at MUSE Creative Awards for 'Horizon'

17:28-16 March 2025 AD ـ 17 Ramadan 1446 AH

Konoz Initiative Wins Two Platinum Awards at MUSE Creative Awards for 'Horizon'

The Konoz initiative, a Saudi Ministry of Media project, has achieved a global milestone by winning two platinum awards at the international MUSE Creative Awards competition for "Horizon" in the cinematography and documentary film categories.

The win brings to 31 the total number of awards won by the initiative locally and internationally, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

"Horizon" is one of the production, artistic, and visual works of the Konoz initiative, documenting the richness and diversity of wildlife and natural resources in the Kingdom.

Produced in collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife, the film aims to raise awareness about the environmental diversity in the Kingdom, its unique geographical regions, and efforts to protect wildlife and preserve rare species.

It also introduces the world to the Kingdom's treasures by showcasing its stunning landscapes, rich in diverse plant and animal life, while promoting awareness of its natural wealth.

The international competition celebrates excellence and innovation in design, advertising, and digital media, honoring works that leave a lasting impact on audiences.

‘Secrets of the Penguins’ to Be Premiered on Eve of Earth Day

A group of adult Emperor penguins travel along the sea ice on their bellies after exiting the water against, as the ice shelf is seen in the distance, on the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2025. (National Geographic/Bertie Gregory/Handout via Reuters)

11:27-21 April 2025 AD ـ 23 Shawwal 1446 AH

‘Secrets of the Penguins’ to Be Premiered on Eve of Earth Day

Years of filming, often in extreme conditions, has provided new insights into the extraordinary challenges endured by penguins for a documentary series to be premiered on Monday, the eve of Earth Day.

"Secrets of the Penguins" is voiced by US actor Blake Lively and hosted by National Geographic explorer Bertie Gregory, who hopes to engage the widest possible audience with the natural world.

He says filming that included 274 days on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica, home to around 20,000 emperor penguins, as well as in locations from Cape Town in South Africa to the Galapagos Islands, led to discovering "new penguin secrets".

"I have filmed penguins a lot before," he said. "I thought I knew penguins. I was so wrong."

The three-part series, to be screened on Disney+ on Monday, and on Nat Geo Wild from Tuesday, in all took more than two years to film.

The highlights include penguin chicks jumping off a 50-foot (15 m) ice cliff in order to dive into the sea for the first time in their young lives.

"As soon as the first one went ... they all started to jump. It was an amazing moment to witness," Gregory said, adding the exploit has never been broadcast before.

"They're the only animal in the world to raise their young during the Antarctic winter. It is the coldest, darkest, windiest place on Earth," he said further.

Gregory says the significance goes beyond any one species.

"We should want to look after penguins, not just because it makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside, but because we need healthy, wild places for so many things," he said.

The 31-year-old explorer has two Daytime Emmy Awards for the series "Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory" and a BAFTA Television Craft Award for shooting British naturalist David Attenborough's "Seven Worlds, One Planet".

He does not see himself taking on the mantle of the 98-year-old Attenborough, who is still at work.

"He's one of a kind," Gregory said. "There is no replacement."

Konoz Initiative Wins Two Platinum Awards at MUSE Creative Awards for 'Horizon'