Silverback Films

We’re thrilled to announce the winner of our inaugural staff short film competition, shooting director Joe Fereday, and his film ‘Rodent’.

In 2021 we created an ongoing initiative to give our staff (outside of Producers or Series Producers) the chance to experience the full process of filmmaking. Entrants were tasked with pitching a creative short film that fit with Silverback’s environmental values alongside schedules, logistics, budgets, and staffing. For the winner – the opportunity to produce and direct their vision, while overseeing all staffing, finance, prep and post, helped along the way with support and mentors within Silverback Films… 

This year’s winner was Joe Fereday and we’re proud of his amazing film ‘Rodent’ – a cautionary tale about a rat caught up in a dystopian future of our own making. 

Joe joined Silverback Films in 2018, starting as a camera assist filming kingfishers on ‘Our Planet’ then creating short form content for the Netflix project, he has worked as part of the Emmy award winning cinematography team for ‘David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet‘ feature film and more recently on the ground-breaking ‘Life on our Planet‘ series. 

“The film ‘Rodent’ has been a labour love and I am really excited to share it with the world. The short film competition has been a brilliant initiative by Silverback and I can’t thank the company enough for this fantastic opportunity.”

With a huge amount of determination, creativity and passion he’s created a powerful film that’s now being showcased and nominated for awards at film festivals around the world, including Hamilton, FilmQuest, Seoul Animal Film Festival, Imagine Festival and Brighton Rocks.

Watch the trailer below > 

Behind the scenes of ‘Rodent‘. Interview with Joe Fereday.

Tell us a little about the film

With ‘Rodent’, I wanted to find an original and entertaining way to approach existential threats to humanity, namely climate change and AI.

“Think Wall-E meets 28 days later… but with rats!” 

Often documentaries about this are set in the now but what about seeing how the future might look like in a worst case scenario for humans? At its heart, the film is a cautionary tale. I wanted to hold a mirror up to see how exploring this world may make us question if this is something we really want. 

It’s told with the sensibilities of a twisted natural history sequence that plays out in the drama of a dystopian future. The project posed an opportunity to try something different outside of conventional wildlife films, take risks and see where else we can go telling new stories about the natural world. With the ultimate aim to engage and excite a more varied audience. 

We already know the answers to solve many of the issues we face today, yet we are in an ever narrowing margin to take action. The good news is it’s still possible, so it’s important to find new creative ways to keep this conversation at the forefront and not get fatigued by the momentous task at hand. 

What inspired you to enter the competition? 

The competition allowed me to try out an idea that was little outside of the box and a bit risky. Having worked on blue-chip, which sets such a high bar for filmmaking, I was really interested to take this approach to topics surrounding the Anthropocene but from a totally different angle. The film is a crossover of drama and natural history. Something that interests me, that I wanted to explore more.  

What did you most enjoy about making Rodent? 

The most rewarding thing about making ‘Rodent’ was creating a diverse team of up-and-coming filmmakers who wanted more hands-on experience. Every person really stepped up and brought something fresh to the table. The film wouldn’t have been possible without them. 

Every aspect of this film was created in Bristol. We filmed at a shop unit in The Galleries, a studio near Clifton and we used crew who all lived in the city and all the post-production was done at Films@59 on Whiteladies Road. 

Almost all the set materials were second-hand and after which were recycled/donated where possible. As a result, our carbon footprint was very low for this film and keeping things local didn’t affect the finished product. The opposite in fact, it made things a lot easier to achieve and more manageable. 

Any final thoughts?

Rats are brilliant. I wasn’t the biggest fan before making this film but having spent so much time caring, training and filming them they really are fun, intelligent and friendly animals that have gotten a bad reputation. 

Follow Joe on Instagram @JoeFereday

https://www.feredayfilms.com/

Orangutans, with their soulful eyes and gentle nature, have captured our hearts and minds for generations. In our new film, Secret Lives of Orangutans, we provide an intimate glimpse into the intricate inner lives of these magnificent apes.

The plight of orangutans is widely known. Habitat loss across their range has left the Sumatran orangutan population at around 14,000 and steadily declining. While there have been many films focussing on conservation and the threats orangutans face, Huw Cordey, the Director and Producer of Secret Lives of Orangutans wanted this project to be different:

“My goal was to spotlight the complexity of orangutan society and behaviour, revealing just how remarkable these creatures are. After all, it’s hard to truly care about something you don’t understand. My hope is that Secret Lives of Orangutans offers audiences a deeper appreciation for wild orangutans, as they’ve never seen them before.”

Helen Buckland, CEO of the Sumatran Orangutan Society said:

“This film is a captivating journey into the heart of the Sumatran rainforest. It is a beautiful portrayal of orangutans’ complex social lives, problem-solving abilities, and emotional depth. The filmmakers have captured stunning sequences of orangutans, alongside shots soaring over the breathtaking landscape, and a glimpse of the myriad biodiversity sharing these forests – give yourself a treat and immerse yourself in this glorious world! I have no doubt that the film will help catalyse more support to keep these magnificent animals thriving in the wild.”

The Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) and their dedicated partners are working on-the-ground in Sumatra – where our documentary was filmed – to protect orangutans and their precious rainforest homes.

Huw shared more about the making of our film in an special interview with Orangutan SOS – read more about their work to protect Sumatra’s Orangutans below…

Why Should We Protect Orangutans?

Orangutans are amazing creatures that deserve protection in their own right. But they also play a crucially important role in maintaining the health and resilience of the rainforests.

As they move through the forest, orangutans eat a variety of fruits and disperse the seeds far and wide. This natural process helps to maintain the diversity of the forest and gives rise to new life throughout the ecosystem. Without orangutans to carry out this vital role, the forest’s ability to regenerate and support a wide range of species would be greatly diminished.

A diverse forest is more resilient to changes and threats, such as disease, climate change, and natural disasters. With many plant species growing together, the loss of one does not lead to the collapse of the entire ecosystem. In this way, orangutans help maintain the delicate balance of life in the rainforest, supporting a web of interconnected species that rely on one another for survival.

How Do We Protect Orangutans?

Orangutans are at risk due to habitat fragmentation and forest degradation. This is primarily caused by human-made barriers, such as farmlands, roads and energy infrastructure. Unless these fragmented forests are protected and reconnected, some of these orangutan populations may disappear altogether.

The key to saving orangutans is preserving their forest home. SOS support their frontline partners in Sumatra to build resilience for orangutans, ecosystems and communities through conservation projects that benefit both people and wildlife. Their approach listens to the needs of local communities, ensuring they have a central role in programme planning and decision-making. Whether it’s creating wildlife corridors between fragmented forests or rewilding areas of degraded habitat, SOS and their partners work tirelessly to secure a flourishing future for wild orangutans.

How You Can Help

SOS has made great strides over the past two decades to protect orangutans and conserve Sumara’s rainforests, but there is still much work to be done.

If you feel inspired by Secret Lives of Orangutans and would like to safeguard the future of wild orangutans, you can support SOS at: www.orangutans-sos.org/get-involved

We’re thrilled to share that ‘Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story’ has won the ‘Best People and Nature Film’ Award at the 2024 Jackson Wild Media Awards.

Our heartwarming film tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a wild otter and a man set in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland. It’s a spectacular showcase of the beauty of the natural world and the effect it can have on our lives during the unlikeliest of moments…

Considered the highest bar of achievement in natural history filmmaking, the Jackson Wild Media Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in nature, science, and conservation storytelling. Over 500 films entered the competition in 2024, with over 1,100 category entries from 74 different countries around the world. Finalists were selected by more than 200 international judges who together screened over 1,000 hours of media. Winners were announced during the Awards Gala on Thursday, September 5th, 2024 at the AFI Theatre in Silver Spring, MD.

We’re incredibly proud ‘Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story’ stood out in this prestigious celebration of the best of nature filmmaking. Watch it on DisneyPlus and Hulu in the U.S (stay tuned for UK release dates).

Our new film, Secret Lives of Orangutans narrated by Sir David Attenborough premiered today (22 August). It’s the world’s first feature length film about wild orangutans – watch it now only on Netflix.

Following the success of Our Planet, also produced by Silverback Films, and Netflix’s most-watched natural history documentary series of all time, the new documentary picks up the story of two of the Sumatran orangutans from Our Planet Jungles six years later.

In 2019, audiences were captivated by eighteen-year-old Ellie and her three-year-old daughter Eden. This film rejoins them as Eden embarks on the most challenging period of her life. With the bond between mother and child being one of the longest and strongest in the natural world, it follows Eden’s journey towards independence, a critical phase that takes nearly ten years in an orangutan’s life.

Secret Lives of Orangutans shares an intimate look of Ellie with her new one-day-old baby boy, Emen. As Ellie focuses on her newborn, nine-year-old Eden must begin to navigate the jungle on her own using the skills she’s learned from her mother. The film features several other orangutans, including Eden’s cousin Pepito, who is also starting his journey to independence; Friska, Eden’s grandmother and the world’s oldest known wild orangutan; Suli the Unflanged, a determined yet subordinate male; Split Lip Otto, a once-dominant flanged male; Titan, the newly crowned flanged male; and Rakus, an orangutan who recently gained global attention as scientists observed him treating a battle wound with a medicinal plant (the first time a creature in the wild has been recorded doing this behaviour).

Keith Scholey, Executive Producer and Co-Director of Silverback Films, said, “Secret Lives of Orangutans reveals the remarkable similarities between us, humans, and orangutans as never before. I’ve been in the business for over 40 years and this film is truly unique in that it feels like you’re watching a human drama, rather than a wildlife documentary. There’s no other natural history film like it.”

Huw Cordey, Secret Lives of Orangutans Director, said, “We’re thrilled to give viewers this never-before-seen perspective of one of our closest relatives. Orangutans are famously difficult to film in the wild – rarely, if ever, coming to the ground – and the swamp forests of Suaq are one the world’s most difficult places to film. The use of drones allowed us to capture unprecedented footage and rare behaviours. It’s a privilege to be able to share these intimate stories with the world.”

The documentary was filmed over two years in the swamp forests of Suaq, northern Sumatra, an area renowned for its high orangutan population and their unique tool-using behaviour. This ancient forest is home to over two hundred identifiable orangutans, forming part of a thirty-year research project. Throughout the filming, the crew worked closely with scientists, local guides and park rangers from Gunung Leuser National Park.

Secret Lives of Orangutans is produced by All3 Media’s Silverback Films, from Executive Producer Keith Scholey, Produced and Directed by Huw Cordey, with Production Manager Rebecca Coombs.

Meet baby Emen one of the stars of our new documentary film ‘Secret Lives of Orangutans’ narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Premiering on Netflix 22 August.

Filmed over two years, we follow a remarkable group of orangutans in the pristine jungles of Sumatra. The story centres on new mum Ellie and Eden, who both captured the hearts of Our Planet viewers in 2019, as Eden now embarks on the most challenging period of her life.

We’re excited to reveal this intimate and never-before-seen perspective of one of our closest relatives.

Add to your watchlist: www.netflix.com/gb/title/81312307 

July 2024: Announcing our new feature-length documentary special with Sir David Attenborough about the health of the world’s oceans – coming 2025! Presented and authored by the 98-year-old broadcaster, ‘David Attenborough: Ocean’ will share the story of how we can, and must, restore the glory of Earth’s vast, interconnected waters.

After nearly a hundred years filming every aspect of the natural world, Attenborough delivers his most powerful message yet. In this film, 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 they are the most important places 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.”

Our 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.

The timely film will debut 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 stabilise the climate by restoring the ocean, and our film will amplify the solutions that are already at hand and ready to be immediately implemented to help turn the tide.

‘David Attenborough: Ocean’ will release in theatres before premiering globally on National Geographic and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Note: updated Feb 2025. The film is being produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios with the backing of All3Media International, Arksen & 10% For The Ocean, Minderoo Pictures, National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Dynamic Planet, Don Quixote ASBL and The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The film is directed by Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield and produced by Nowlan.

 

Nominations for the 76th Emmy® Awards have just been announced (17 June 2024) and we’re thrilled to share that our series for Netflix have received two nominations:

Our Planet II reveals life’s extraordinary journeys in a world that is changing faster than ever. Nominated for ‘Outstanding Cinematography’ our filmmakers set out to show scale in fresh and awe-inspiring ways, from the movement of the world’s largest herds to the massive odyssey ahead of single albatross chick.

Nominated for ‘Outstanding Narrator’, Life on Our Planet traces the four billion-year journey of life on earth to reveal how we can shape our future. Our team knew there was no better fit than the voice of Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman to tell the world’s biggest story.

The 2024 ceremony will be held on September 15 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Many congratulations to our Silverback Films teams and the nominees.

Since it’s release last June (2023), our 4-part series Our Planet II narrated by Sir David Attenborough has topped the Netflix chart in 77 countries, with over 80 million viewing hours in 2023 alone.

The show unravels the mystery of migration, telling an unprecedented story about overcoming obstacles on a global scale. Each episode represents three months of the Earth’s orbit, highlighting major animal gatherings and events to showcase the mind-boggling diversity of the animal kingdom as well as rare and never-before-seen moments of animal behaviour.

From an abandoned albatross chick leaving his island home, to the perilous journey of billions of baby red crablets of Christmas Island, to the biggest buffalo mega-herd ever recorded… it’s a spectacular, educational, and eye-opening look at life’s extraordinary journeys, in a world that is itself changing faster than ever.

“Only now are we beginning to understand that all life on Earth depends on the freedom to move” – Sir David Attenborough

Hear Silverback Films Producer Huw Cordey discuss the creation of the series Our Planet II at the Netflix FYSEE space in Los Angeles last month – sharing how we worked to raise the bar for natural history, combining world-class visuals with environmental story-telling