Kui Buri – Thailand’s Hidden Eden: Award-winning film reveals the wildlife of Kui Buri National Park
Monsoon Valley Vineyard hosts ‘Voices of the Wild’ documentary night
Visitors gathered at Monsoon Valley Vineyard on Friday evening (6 March) for a special outdoor screening of the wildlife documentary Kui Buri – Thailand’s Hidden Eden, as part of the “Animal Preservation Cinema Documentary Night: Voices of the Wild”.
The documentary, filmed over more than two years, explores the rich biodiversity of Kui Buri National Park, located less than 90 minutes south of Hua Hin. Known as one of Thailand’s best locations for observing wild elephants, the park is also home to rare species such as gaur, banteng and the extremely rare hybrid bovine known as Krathing Daeng.
Kui Buri – Thailand’s Hidden Eden, written and directed by Austrian filmmaker Heinz Leger and produced by Terra Mater Studios, tells the story of wildlife living along the Tenasserim mountain range near the Thai–Myanmar border.
Using hidden camera traps and long observation periods, the film captures intimate moments in the lives of the park’s animals, from elephants roaming across grasslands to hornbills raising chicks high in the forest canopy.
The documentary also highlights the park’s complex conservation challenges, including the need to balance wildlife protection with the livelihoods of nearby farming communities.
During a question-and-answer session following the screening, Leger said the success of Kui Buri lies in cooperation between scientists, park authorities, rangers and local villagers.
“What makes Kui Buri special is that animals and the local population can co-exist,” he said. “There is cooperation between scientists, the national park administration, park rangers and local villagers, and everybody is trying to find a good outcome for both the animals and the people living there.”
Leger also described the patience required to capture wildlife footage.
“A ten-second clip can sometimes take ten hours to capture,” he said.
The production team installed numerous hidden cameras across the park to film animals without disturbing them. Some of those cameras did not survive encounters with curious elephants.
When asked how many cameras were destroyed during filming, Leger replied: “Too many.”
To document the incidents, the team even set up additional cameras aimed at their own equipment so they could show insurers how the damage occurred.
“Otherwise no one would have believed us,” he said, noting that one of those incidents eventually appeared in the finished film.
Wine barrels help create nesting homes for hornbills
The documentary also showcases creative conservation solutions involving wine barrels.
One example featured in the film involves hornbills, which require large tree cavities to nest. As suitable trees become scarce in many forests, conservationists tested an unusual alternative: used wine barrels mounted high in trees.
Siam Winery and Monsoon Valley Vineyard donated the barrels, which were modified with entrance holes and installed as artificial nests.
Hidden cameras placed inside the barrels recorded remarkable footage of female hornbills laying eggs and raising chicks until they were ready to leave the nest.
According to Leger, the hornbill sequences filmed in the barrels were shot within the grounds of Monsoon Valley Vineyard itself.
Other conservation measures shown in the film include the use of bee-fences to deter elephants from leaving the park to feed on nearby plantations, as well as infrared camera systems that allow rangers to track wildlife movements and respond when animals approach agricultural areas.
Kui Buri National Park, once affected by conflict between wildlife and farming communities, is now widely seen as a model for wildlife conservation where both animals and people can share the landscape.
Cinema night promotes conservation awareness
The screening at Monsoon Valley Vineyard formed part of an initiative aimed at promoting environmental awareness and sustainable tourism in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The evening also included talks from the documentary’s producer and rangers from Kui Buri National Park, giving attendees an opportunity to learn more about the wildlife and conservation work taking place in the region.
The film has already received international recognition, including the Premio Città di Sondrio award at the Sondrio Festival in Italy in 2025, and selections at several environmental film festivals across Europe.
For many in the audience, the documentary provided a closer look at the wildlife living just a short distance from Hua Hin.
