Hollywood filmmaker Michael Bay has shared his remarkable experience behind naming a baby gorilla at the recent Kwita Izina ceremony in Kinigi, and revealed plans to produce a short film using footage he captured with his Nikon Z camera.

Bay was among namers of the 40 baby gorillas named during the 20th edition of Kwita Izina ceremony which took place on September 5. He named his baby gorilla "Umurage.”

In a video he shared on his social media, the veteran American filmmaker recounted his visit to Volcanoes National Park in Kinigi and the awe-inspiring moment of encountering a silverback up close.

"I used this camera at my baby naming ceremony. Not the type of baby you think. My baby resides in the Rwanda Volcanic National Park. The president called me to name my baby Gorilla. His name is "Umurage” and he is going to be a stud silverback one day.

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Michael Bay said that one Prosper, the head of the park, had guided him on a trek where they encountered a gorilla family. He noted that only about 650 gorillas remain in the wild, and among the ones they saw were a dominant silverback and a playful young male.

”This is the real deal. My new Nikon Z was just two feet away from dad, mom, and baby ‘Umurage’, catching every detail. I’ve got a film coming soon with all the best footage we shot.

"I was honored to name a baby Gorilla. Rwanda is amazing at protecting these precious animals,” he said.

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Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer born in Los Angeles. He is known for directing different big films including Bad Boys (1995) and its sequel Bad Boys II (2003), The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), the first five films in the Transformers film series, among others.

He is co-founder of the production house the Institute. He co-owns Platinum Dunes, a production house which has remade horror films.