The Lost Colony

While the title refers to a group of monkeys that fled from a sanctuary near Sukhum—the capital of the old Soviet republic of Abkhazia—in 1992 when the region was invaded by Georgian forces, Astrid Bussink's documentary isn't so much about the missing simians (rumored to be still surviving in the wild) as it is about their former home: the Sukhum Primate Institute. Founded in 1927, this pioneering, internationally renowned research center was shut down during the civil war; now, the mostly elderly surviving staff are struggling to restore the decrepit buildings and reopen the center (the film closes with footage of an international conference where the workers hope to secure funding). Viewers may be shocked by one staff member's discovery of old records left by a researcher named Ivanov, who was trying to cross simians and humans through artificial insemination, as well as by the treatment of monkeys brought into the dilapidated facilities, but overall The Lost Colony—punctuated by scenes of one man lugging food out to the wilderness in an effort to lure the lost monkeys back to the site—presents a sad and moving portrait of researchers trying to recreate a (most likely) unrecoverable past. A touching reminder of the impact that even “small” conflicts can have on human beings—as well other species—this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)