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Produced by Silverback in Association With All3Media International and Debuting in 2025, the Documentary Special, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN (WT), Highlights the Vital, Achievable Actions the World Can Take To Restore the Ocean and Stabilize the Climate
LONDON, UK (July 18, 2024) National Geographic announced today that it is partnering for the very first time with the world’s preeminent natural historian, Sir David Attenborough, on a feature-length documentary special about the health of the world’s oceans. Presented and authored by the 98-year-old broadcaster, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN (working title) will share with a global audience the story of how we can, and must, restore the glory of Earth’s vast, interconnected waters.
The film is being produced by Silverback with the backing of All3Media International, Ocean Ten Media, Minderoo Productions, National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Don Quixote ASBL and The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. In 2025, it will debut in theatres before premiering globally on National Geographic and streaming on Disney+.
After nearly a hundred years filming every aspect of the natural world, Attenborough delivers his most powerful message yet. In this feature-length special, he draws on his lifetime of knowledge and experience to take us on a journey of wonder through the planet’s most spectacular undersea habitats, revealing that we are currently living in the greatest age of ocean discovery, and showing beyond doubt that it is the most important place on Earth. While Attenborough exposes the biggest problems facing our ocean, his story is one of hope, and that in front of us is an opportunity for marine life to recover on a scale no one alive has ever seen before.
Attenborough said, “My lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Over the last hundred years, scientists and explorers have revealed remarkable new species, epic migrations and dazzling, complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined as a young man. In this film, we share those wonderful discoveries, uncover why our ocean is in such poor health, and, perhaps most importantly, show how it can bounce back to life.”
Tom McDonald, National Geographic’s executive vice president of Global Factual and Unscripted Content, said, “There is no one better to deliver this landmark film than Sir David. I have had the privilege and pleasure of working with him many times over the past decade, and so I am, of course, personally and professionally thrilled that he has agreed to work with National Geographic for the very first time on a subject that is timely and close to his heart.”
One of the world’s leading underwater cinematographers, Doug Anderson (“Blue Planet” and “Our Planet”), will act as director of underwater photography. Cameras will film across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Oceania, capturing the practical and affordable solutions to reversing harmful human activity along coral reefs, mangroves, coastal communities, fish farms, marine sanctuaries and many other habitats in order to return the ocean to its most pristine and vibrant.
Audiences will see the timely film in 2025, midway through the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). It is clear without doubt that we can only stabilize the climate by restoring the ocean. DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN (working title) will amplify the solutions that are already at hand and ready to be immediately implemented to help turn the tide.
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN (working title) will be presented and authored by Sir Attenborough. The film is directed by Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield and produced by Nowlan for Silverback. Executive producers include Louise Pedersen and Rachel Job for All3Media International, Tom McDonald and Janet Han Vissering for National Geographic, Jasper Smith and Arksen Ltd for 10% for the Ocean, Minderoo Productions Limited, Enric Sala for National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Kristin Rechberger for Dynamic Planet, Rolly van Rappard and Francoise van Rappard for Don Quixote ASBL, and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco for The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The film will debut in theaters in 2025 before premiering on National Geographic and streaming on Disney+.
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About National Geographic
Award-winning and critically acclaimed National Geographic Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, creates and delivers riveting stories and experiences in natural history, science, adventure and exploration. The brand is the largest on social media with over three quarters of a billion followers across all major platforms that generate over one billion impressions each month. Inspiring a deeper connection to the world, National Geographic Content reaches 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages as a digital, social and print publisher and across the global National Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Its diverse content includes Emmy® Award-winning franchise Genius, series Life Below Zero and Secrets of the Whales, and Oscar®- and BAFTA award-winning film Free Solo. For more information follow Nat Geo UK on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
About Silverback
Silverback is an award-winning producer of exceptional wildlife and environmental films for television, cinema, social media, and major events. Comprising Silverback Films and Studio Silverback, the Bristol-based production companies bring together an unparalleled team of filmmakers dedicated to creating impactful stories about the natural world. Their world-class cinematography, ambitious storytelling, and commitment to pushing the boundaries of natural history, sets them apart as industry leaders. Silverback Films, part of the All3Media Group, was founded in 2012 by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey and has produced some of the most successful nature TV shows and features ever created, earning numerous BAFTA, EMMY, Royal Television Society, Grierson, Jackson Hole, and Wildscreen Panda awards. Works include the Our Planet series (Netflix), David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix), The Hunt (BBC), The Mating Game (BBC), seven Disneynature features, Wild Isles (BBC), and most recently Life on Our Planet (Netflix). Studio Silverback, founded in 2020 by Colin Butfield and Jonnie Hughes, is dedicated to producing environmental content that reveals the urgent truths of our changing planet to a global audience. Notable projects include a multi-year collaboration with The Earthshot Prize, including last year’s live awards show and 2021 documentary (BBC and Discovery+ USA), Sir David Attenborough’s COP26 Opening Ceremony address to world leaders, and Seat at The Table YouTube Originals series. For more information, visit silverbackfilms.tv.
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