Dolphins: My Close Encounters is a powerful new feature documentary from Silverback Films, following Swiss marine biologist Angela Ziltener and her extraordinary relationship with the wild dolphins of Egypt’s Red Sea.
The film celebrated its World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival on 28 September 2026, with further screenings taking place throughout the festival. It will next travel to Egypt for its MENA Premiere at El Gouna Film Festival, taking place from 15-23 October – just miles from the Red Sea coastline where Angela began her groundbreaking research.
For more than 15 years, Angela has been diving alongside the same population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, gradually gaining a rare window into their lives.
What began as scientific observation evolved into something much more profound. Individual dolphins came to recognise Angela and repeatedly chose to approach and interact with her, allowing her to witness intimate moments, complex relationships and behaviours rarely seen before. Her encounters raise fascinating questions about dolphin intelligence, communication and the connections possible between humans and wild animals.
“Being accepted into their space, even temporarily, is something I never take for granted. At the same time, I am careful not to interpret their behaviour as human trust without scientific evidence. What I can observe is that individual dolphins repeatedly choose to approach, remain near me, and interact with me over long periods.”
Angela Ziltener
Angela has followed individual dolphins across years and generations, watching calves grow into adults and documenting their changing relationships, personalities and behaviour. Over the course of her research, Angela and her team have identified more than 450 individual dolphins. Before production began, she had already recorded more than 400 hours of personal footage, creating an extraordinary archive of their lives. For the film, the Silverback team spent a further 108 filming days on location, including 165 hours filming underwater.
At the heart of the film is a provocative question: who is really observing whom?
“There are moments that are difficult to explain with confidence through science alone, and part of the power of the film is sitting with that uncertainty rather than trying to provide easy answers. There’s a universality to her relationships with these underwater friends of hers that is so powerful and speaks to our connection and treatment of others on a deep level.”
Barny Revill, Producer & Director
Drawing on Angela’s extraordinary personal archive alongside spectacular new cinematography, Dolphins: My Close Encounters reveals a relationship that challenges the familiar boundaries between human observer and wild animal.
And ultimately, the film asks something bigger: what if intelligent life is not something we need to search for beyond our planet, but something we have been sharing it with all along?
CREDITS
PRODUCED & DIRECTED BY
Barny Revill
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Keith Scholey
FEATURING
Angela Ziltener
PRODUCED BY
Silverback Films
MUSIC BY
Natalie Holt
