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Netflix, the great white shark of streaming, is wading into Discovery’s and Nat Geo’s waters.

This holiday weekend, National Geographic Channel’s 13th annual SharkFest debuts, beating Discovery Channel’s 37th Shark Week to the schedule. This summer, the blood in the water isn’t from chum, rather it’s from a whale of a new competitor: Netflix.

Netflix dominates pretty much all things TV, so why should shark content be any different? On June 30, Netflix premiered its documentary Shark Whisperer, which follows Ocean Ramsey in her unique (and controversial — and viral) approach to marine conservation: swimming freely with gigantic sharks for hours on end. Shark Whisperer, the latest underwater documentary film from James Reed, the Oscar-winning director of My Octopus Teacher, has treaded water among Netflix’s top 10 films each day since.

Shark Whisperer is not Netflix’s only shark programming of the summer — though it will...

By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

“I want to meet more sharks and explore this beautiful planet. While I’d like to be able to continue that, you never know when you’re gonna go. But if it happens from a shark, I’m putting myself in these extreme situations. So definitely don’t blame the shark.” – Ocean Ramsey

As filmgoers everywhere are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, there’s another film about these magnificent creatures that’s airing on Netflix.

From the Academy Award®-winning director of My Octopus Teacher comes Shark Whisperer, a provocative and visually arresting documentary that dives into the murky waters of modern conservation, where science, activism, and spectacle collide.

At its center is marine conservationist and social media lightning rod Ocean Ramsey, whose viral videos of swimming freely with sharks have sparked global fascination—and fierce debate. Driven by a...

Days of Our Lives spoilers for Monday, June 23 reveal Ej Dimera (Dan Feuerriegel) is determined. Meanwhile, Tony Dimera (Thaao Penghlis) makes a big splash upon his return. Plus, what’s up with Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord)? Here’s what you need to know.

Days of Our Lives spoilers for Monday, June 23: Papa Bear

First, Days of Our Lives spoilers reveal the depth of a father’s love. Despite what he saw on that video and what he knows about that night, Ej isn’t giving up on his son. He’ll double down on a promise to do all in his power to protect Johnny Dimera (Carson Boatman). Given Johnny is now open to a reconciliation, that will obviously strengthen his resolve. Chanel DuPree (Raven Bowens) rightfully has worries, but we think she’d be wise to just accept Johnny’s decision and leave it alone. Especially given what we saw in the weekly.

What do genetic engineering, Hollywood and animal conservation have in common? Look no further than the Colossal Biosciences company, which lit up the internet in early April with its claim that it had brought the dire wolf back from extinction — nearly 10,000 years after the massive prehistoric canine panted its last breath. While a debate has since raged over whether Colossal’s fluffy white beasts legitimately are dire wolves or whether they are simply gray wolves that have been genetically edited to approximate the real thing, one thing has been clear: Colossal, co-founded by tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm and Harvard geneticist George Church, pulled off a hell of a show — with Hollywood’s help.

To roll out the announcement of its purported dire wolf — an animal made famous on the hit show Game of Thrones — the company photographed two of the pups, Romulus and Remus, on the actual Iron Throne prop...

Netflix produced its first non-documentary feature in 2015. It was called Beasts of No Nation, and it was fine. However, the film did not get nominated for an Academy Award. Lots has changed in the last decade.

Your favorite streamer often gets nominated for major awards each year. 2025 is no different. Emilia Pérez has 13 nominations alone, including one for Best Picture. So far, Netflix has yet to get a win in that category, and Emilia Pérez is not the favorite this year, either.

In fact, Netflix has also almost been entirely shut out of wins in the acting categories. Only Laura Dern won, and that was for Best Supporting Actress in 2020. But the streamer does do well in some other categories. Those might not be part of the Big 6, but when it comes to documentaries, Netflix knows what it is doing. Just see below, and you'll know.

The 2025 Oscars will be held on Sunday,...

Days of our Lives spoilers see Gabi Hernandez and JJ Deveraux rekindling the spark they once shared. However, JJ is cautious because of her past. Likewise, she taps the brakes a little because of his past infidelity. Yet, she feels terrible that she’s being insensitive to him. But they see things differently after the harrowing showdown with the fugitive Clyde Weston. However, ever-vigilant Julie Williams scolds JJ for spending unnecessary time with his ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Javi Hernandez intuits his cousin has feelings for the former detective. Do they stand a chance for a second time around on the 60th season of the NBC Peacock exclusive?

Days of our Lives Spoilers: JJ Deveraux & Gabi Hernandez Recouple?

Dool spoilers see JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss) and Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jiminez) getting closer. However, they are both cautious about their past. After all, she tried to murder Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes) with her pacemaker.

The late Konstantin risked it all to get revenge for his daughter’s death. He scammed, he schemed, and he almost destroyed John by trying to turn him into The Pawn on Days of our Lives. Only, it was all for nothing because Catharina is still very much alive…and she’s on her way to Salem with Susan Elena Matus portraying her.

Catharina Comes To Salem

News broke this weekend that the show has found its newest leading lady. Matus revealed the casting on her Instagram with a post teasing her new role. “Catherina a survivor with complicated family secrets will protect her children at all cost,” she wrote.

Expect to see Catherina in scenes opposite Billy Flynn’s Chad and AnnaLynne McCord’s Cat as of Monday, December 9th. Chad and Cat are on a mission to find her mama and it seems they reunite and come face to face.

Colossal co-founder Ben Lamm shared his expertise on how the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park would impact the Earth's ecosystem. The biotechnology company and My Octopus Teacher filmmaker James Reed are working on a documentary on de-extinction technology to bring back extinct animals. The concept of this technology is at the core of the Steven Spielberg movie Jurassic Park, in which John Hammond brought back dinosaurs to the modern world with their DNA and genetic engineering.

Screen Rant's Simon Gallagher spoke with Lamm in an exclusive interview about animal extinction. According to Lamm, half of the world's species are expected to go extinct by 2050, which will make the planet less habitable. If scientists do not save these species on time, he argued that "we need to have a plan to bring back those animals."

Lamb further stressed the importance of de-extinction technology and its ability to generate positive results in Yellowstone National Park.

Mo Brings Plenty is heading to Teton Ridge.

The Yellowstone star has been named American Indian cultural affairs director for the Western sports, media, lifestyle and entertainment company. The role will find him helping to oversee “authenticity, diversity and overall industry culture” across a variety of Teton Ridge properties including Cowboys & Indians Magazine, the Arizona Ridge Riders, a professional bull riding team within the Pbr Teams League and Teton Ridge Entertainment, a division that produces films, series and new media projects exploring Americana and the themes, ethos and setting of the American West.

There’s been some news out of the division over the past year. In October, it was announced that eOne president of film production Jillian Share had been tapped to serve as president of Teton Ridge Entertainment. Two months later, in December 2023, Jen Gorton was hired to serve as executive vp of production and development.

In February,...

Days of Our Lives spoilers tease that it’s been two years since Chad Dimera’s (Billy Flynn) world came crashing down. Chad arrived home and found his wife, Abigail Dimera (Marci Miller) lying on their bed covered in blood.

Abigail had been brutally stabbed and Chad arrived just as Abby took her last breath. She was taken to the hospital, but there was nothing they could do. At least that’s what Chad and the rest of Salem has believed all this time.

Days Of Our Lives Spoilers – Clyde Weston Killed Abigail Dimera, Or Did He?

After weeks of searching for the killer, Clyde Weston (James Reed) was arrested and eventually confessed. Clyde made it seem like Abigail’s death was not his plan.

He let Chad believe he Abigail was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But recently Chad found Abigail’s journal which revealed she...

Exclusive: Teton Ridge Entertainment has picked up the rights to adapt bestselling author Louis L’Amour’s novel Fallon and will develop a screenplay based on a pitch by writer Peter Chiarelli (Crazy Rich Asians).

The old west-set Fallon follows Macon Fallon, who is on the run and in need of fast cash. Fallon sets out to con an idealistic group of pioneers, but when a young woman catches on, things take an unexpected turn.

Jonathan Glickman is attached to produce and has been developing the film prior to his recent appointment as CEO of Miramax. Teton Ridge Entertainment’s EVP of Production Jen Gorton and Creative Executive Madeleine Moore will oversee the project. Beau L’Amour will serve as EP.

Run by President Jillian Share, newly formed Teton Ridge Entertainment produces scripted and unscripted films, television series, podcasts and new media content that explores Americana stories and highlights the themes, ethos...

It was a night of surprises at the BAFTA TV Awards, with “The Crown” and “Black Mirror” failing to pick up any awards while “Succession” walked away with only one for Matthew Macfadyen for best supporting actor.

Macfadyen did not attend the awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall, prompting Helena Bonham Carter, who presented the category, to walk off with the iconic gold BAFTA mask with the promise she would get it to Macfadyen.

The international category also saw upset, with frontrunners “Succession,” “Beef” and “The Bear” all failing to win the award. They were instead beaten by little-known French series “Class Act.” It was a fact acknowledged by the show’s shocked lead actor Laurent Lafitte, who, upon accepting the award, told the audience: “Please watch our show. It’s called ‘Class Act,’ it’s quite good — not just because I’m starring in it.”

In the acting categories,...

Colossal Biosciences, a company devoted to genetically resurrecting the woolly mammoth, is the subject of Oscar-winning director James Reed’s next documentary series for Teton Ridge Entertainment, a company backed by former Legendary CEO Thomas Tull.

Reed, who won an Academy Award in 2020 for co-directing “My Octopus Teacher,” is currently in production on the multi-year docuseries, which will follow the Dallas-based company as it uses gene-editing technology to bring back extinct species including the woolly mammoth, the thylacine (commonly referred to as the Tasmanian tiger) and the dodo bird. Reed will chronicle how Colossal, which deems itself the world’s first de-extinction company, strives to rewild the extinct animals and bring them back to their natural habitats.

Teton Ridge is financing the first phase of the docu’s production with the intention to find a distribution partner to bring the film to market.

“After these past few months with Colossal,...

Colossal Biosciences, the company bringing wooly mammoths and other extinct species back to life, and production partner Teton Ridge Entertainment are teaming with acclaimed filmmaker James Reed on a multiyear docuseries.

Reed – the Oscar-winning director of My Octopus Teacher – and producing partner Matt Houghton will executive produce the de-extinction series through Reed’s Underdog Films banner. Jillian Share for Teton Ridge Entertainment and Michael Dougherty are also on board as executive producers. Filmmaker Sophie Todd (Formula 1 – Drive To Survive) has joined the project as showrunner.

Illustration of a thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian tiger.

“The series will have exclusive access to follow Colossal as it works to bring back iconic extinct species – including the woolly mammoth, the thylacine [a carnivorous marsupial once native to Australia] and dodo bird – and strives to rewild them into their natural habitats,” notes a release. “It will have behind the scenes access to Colossal’s whole process – from their groundbreaking...

The Exchange has acquired the worldwide sales rights of romantic comedy feature “Worth the Wait,” which stars Lana Condor and Andrew Koji.

The Exchange will introduce the title to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin, which runs Feb. 15-21.

Set in Seattle and Kuala Lumpur, “Worth the Wait” is a story about the intertwining lives of Asian-American strangers over the course of a year as they find new loves, mend their relationships, and create new connections.

The film, which is in post-production, is directed by Tom Shu-Yu Lin, whose credits include “The Garden of Evening Mists” and “Winds of September.”

“A modern approach to ‘Love Actually’ with a star-studded Asian American cast, Tom made a heartwarming rom-com that is truly worth the wait,” said Nat McCormick, The Exchange’s worldwide sales and distribution president.

Other members of the cast include Ross Butler, Sung Kang, Elodie Yung, Karena Lam...

Luke Evans and Milla Jovovich are attached to lead the sci-fi action thriller “World Breaker,” which will be directed by Brad Anderson. The Exchange is handling international sales and will introduce the cast to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin.

Evans, whose credits include “Beauty and the Beast,” is coming off a starring role in “Backstairs Billy” in the West End. He and Jovovich, best known for the “Resident Evil” franchise, previously starred together in “The Three Musketeers.” Anderson’s credits include “The Call,” “Beirut” and “The Silent Hour.”

The film centers on a father and his daughter. Five years previously, a tear in the fabric of reality brought creatures to our world from an alternate dimension bent on our destruction. The father hides his daughter on an island to keep her safe, while he prepares her for survival and the battles to come. But no place is safe.

The Australian medical drama series Harrow has enjoyed three successful seasons, but will there be a season 4? Debuting on Australia's ABC network in 2018, the series follows a forensic pathologist named Dr. Daniel Harrow (Ioan Gruffudd), who uses his special set of scientific skills to solve a variety of mysterious cases. Acclaimed for its deft balance of procedural storylines with overarching character drama, Harrow isn't a typical cozy mystery series. It invests a lot of time in the personal lives of its heroes. However, the mysteries still crackle with excitement each week, and Gruffudd's performance has been especially praised.

Mixing the familiar charm of the usual cozy mystery series that permeate Australian TV with the weekly drama of shows like Grey's Anatomy, Harrow stands head and shoulders above the usual medical procedurals. With a cast of notable names and fast-paced writing, Harrow has not only seen the titular doctor solve a slew of cases,...

Luke Wiles, Gwyn Williams co-direct.

The Exchange has acquired word sales rights to documentary The White Mountain and will commence sales talks at the Cannes market next week.

Luke Wiles (The Life Of Earth) and Gwyn Williams (Lost Treasures Of Egypt) are co-directing the film, in post, which follows elite skier Hadley Hammer and mountain rescue team member Bastien Fleury as they bear witness to the consequences of climate change on Mont Blanc.

Malcolm Wood (IMAX Presents The Last Glaciers) serves as producer, and executive producers are James Reed (My Octopus Teacher), Bahman Naraghi (Snowden) and The Exchange founder Brian O’Shea...

Chimp Empire is a Netflix documentary series directed by Oscar-winner James Reed (‘What the Octopus Taught Me’) and narrated by Mahershala Ali that chronicles living together in the largest society of these primates ever encountered.

Do you love animals? Look no further because today Netflix brings us this delightful, delicate, charming and sometimes brutal documentary series called Chimp Empire, four episodes full of spectacular scenes, animals and, above all, a deep love for life and nature.

Totally enchanting.

About the Documentary Series

A series about the chimpanzees of Ngogo, a species with which humans share 98% of DNA and that can live up to 60 years. Would you like to meet them? A series full of tenderness with a slow pace, very carefully assembled and, above all, with a spectacular photography, full of details in which, you can see shot by shot, how curated this production is.

A series that knows how...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is to narrate a natural history series about chimpanzees for Netflix.

Ali, who won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight and Green Book, is narrating Chimp Empire, a four-part series for the streamer.

The series comes from director James Reed, who won an Oscar for co-directing Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher. It is his latest chimp doc, having been responsible for Rise of the Warrior Apes for Discovery.

Chimp Empire explores the world of the largest chimpanzee society ever discovered.

Set under the lush canopies of Uganda’s Ngogo Forest, scientists and field trackers have lived alongside this tribe for the last 25 years, watching as they built a sophisticated political and familial structure: forming alliances, building trust, caring for one another, and often going head to head in a never ending fight for power.

Reed and his team embedded a camera crew...

Sky Studios Strikes Podcast-To-Screen Deal With Tortoise Media

Sky Studios has struck an exclusive multi-year first look deal with Tortoise Media to turn the news outlet’s podcasts into TV shows. Tortoise is highly-respected for a string of award-winning podcasts including Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, which come from the outfit’s weekly The Slow Newscast investigative series. With access to all these podcasts, Sky Studios will collaborate with Tortoise through the development process and produce high-end TV and features across scripted and documentary. “At Tortoise, we hope that by taking the time to investigate stories and report them in full, we can get to the heart of things, and, together, we hope those stories will reach even more people,” said Tortoise Co-Founder James Harding, who used to run BBC News.

BBC Studios Natural History Unit Unveils 1.1M Global Talent Initiative

BBC Studios Natural History Unit (Nhu) has unveiled a £1M...

Exclusive: James Reed, director of Oscar-winning Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, has struck a one-year development partnership with BBC Studios.

Under the terms of the deal, Reed and his company Underdog Films will work with the BBC’s commercial producer-distributor over the next 12 months, adding to its pipeline of natural history feature docs. Reed will be joined by his Underdog creative partner Matt Houghton.

The news has been unveiled as the UK’s Wildscreen Festival gets underway, the respected natural history TV festival, and Reed is due to speak on a panel later today.

James Reed

He achieved worldwide acclaim with Netflix 2020 doc My Octopus Teacher, about a South African filmmaker who forges an unexpected friendship with an octopus, which went on to win the Best Documentary Feature award at the Oscars. Reed’s past credits include Jago – A Life Underwater and Rise of the Warrior Apes and he founded...

Partnership

Vice Distribution has struck a content partnership deal with French media group M6 to bring over 100 hours of premium Vice content to the TV network’s AVOD platform, 6play.

The lineup of Vice shows set to roll on 6play comprises the fourth season of the hit psycho-analytical documentary franchise “Thérapie,” the acclaimed documentary “Real par Soul Sisters” and the street food series “Au Camion.” Some Vice franchises are also part of the deal, notably “Dark Side of the 90s,” “Rise Up” and “The Story Of,” as well as award-winning content such as “Gaycation,” “The Trixie” and “Katya Show” and “What Would Diplo Do?”

“Vice produces and distributes premium content that resonates with young audiences around the world,” said Bea Hegedus, Vice global head of distribution. Vice Distribution launched in 2020 with a catalogue of over 1,000 of programming.

Vice recently inked a content deal with Viaplay across eight countries, and launched...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm, reviewing the new film “My Octopus Teacher.” The film just won Best Documentary feature at the 2021 Oscars, and is currently streaming on Netflix.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The story is essentially about filmmaker Craig Foster, at the point of burnout, returning to his native roots in South Africa near Cape Town to rejuvenate. He begins snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean, within the cold water kelp forests near the coastline. An extraordinary incident occurs when he encounters an Octopus, and then develops a quasi-friendship with her. Because Octupi only live for one year, the friendship is experienced through that time period, in her environment, expertly put together by directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed.

“My Octopus Teacher” is currently streaming on Netflix. Featuring Craig Foster. Written and directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Rated “G”

Click here...

Chloé Zhao becomes only second woman in history to win best director

Oscar favourite Nomadland and UK talent triumphed at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday (April 25) as the most protracted season, and one shaped by the pandemic, came to an end.

Searchlight Pictures’ Nomadland was named best picture and also scored wins for Asian American best director Chloé Zhao – who became the first woman of colour and only the second woman in history to win the award after Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010 – and lead actress Frances McDormand, who competed in a particularly close contest.

McDormand fought...

Australia is toasting its newest Academy Award winner in Andrew Jackson, recognised as part of the visual effects team on Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.

The UK-based visual effects supervisor joined colleagues David Lee and Andrew Lockley in London while Scott Fisher accepted the Visual Effects Oscar on behalf of the group at a subdued ceremony in Los Angeles.

They beat out Australia’s other hope in the category – Love and Monsters‘ Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt, and Brian Cox – as well as teams from George Clooney’s Midnight Sky, Nick Caro’s Mulan, and Thea Sharrock’s The One and Only Ivan.

It’s the first win and second nomination for Jackson, who was part of VFX team for Mad Max: Fury Road that lost out to Ex Machina in 2016.

The unprecedented impact of the pandemic on the film industry was reflected in the 93rd Academy Awards, which featured...

Emerald Fennell, Christopher Hampton also won awards.

Anthony Hopkins won best actor for The Father in a strong night for British talent and films at the 93rd Oscars.

Oscars 2021: complete list of winners

Hopkins’ victory was one of the night’s notable upsets, pipping the late Chadwick Boseman for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

As with his victory at the Baftas earlier this month, Hopkins did not accept his award either in-person or virtually; the actor is currently in his hometown in Wales, with the award given after 4am in that timezone.

It is Hopkins’ second...

The 93rd annual Academy Awards were handed out tonight, and in a departure from Oscar history, the Best Picture category was not saved for last. Instead, Searchlight’s Nomadland went home with the night’s marquee prize, and its star Frances McDormand took Best Actress, hours after the film’s Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color to win Best Director.

Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for The Father in something of an upset over the late Chadwick Boseman of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

2021 Oscar Winners Backstage — Photo Gallery

Nomadland was the only three-time winner at the ceremony, with The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sound of Metal and Soul as the other multiple winners.

On the studio side, Netflix more than doubled up on the competition with seven wins — two each for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Mank,...

Netflix had a big night at the Oscars, bringing home a total of seven total trophies — leading all studios — although the streamer failed to grab the prize in the best picture category and came up empty in the acting categories.

Netflix had come into Sunday night with 36 nominations, far more than any other studio.

The company’s wins at the 93rd Academy Awards included two Oscars for David Fincher’s “Mank,” the most-nominated film this year with 10 nods, for cinematography (for Erik Messerschmidt) and production design (for Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale).

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” adapted from the play by August Wilson, also picked up two Oscars: for makeup and hairstyling (with Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson the first Black women to win in the category alongside Sergio Lopez-Rivera) and costume design (Ann Roth). Chadwick Boseman was widely considered the favorite to win a posthumous best actor Oscar...

My Octopus Teacher wrapped its tentacles around the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, corralling a win for Netflix in that category for the second year in a row and third time in the last four years.

It also brought a rare victory to an African film of any kind—producer and subject Craig Foster is South African, as is one of the two directors, Pippa Ehrlich; fellow director James Reed is British.

“We want to thank Netflix for enabling us to share our story with the world and then our incredible Octopus team, whose arms stretched across the planet, from South Africa to Amsterdam, to the U.K., to the U.S.,” Ehrlich said as she accepted the award.

The film tells the story of Foster, a filmmaker and naturalist, and the cephalopod he befriended while diving off the coast of South Africa on a daily basis for a year.

Film about human-octopus bonding in an undersea kelp forest takes the top documentary prize at the Academy Awards

My Octopus Teacher, the heartwarming story of a human-octopus friendship, has won the Oscar for best documentary at the 93rd Academy Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles.

Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, My Octopus Teacher follows film-maker and diver Craig Foster as he explores an underwater kelp forest near Cape Town, South Africa. Foster appears to bond with an octopus he encounters living in the area.

Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony was historic in more ways than one, making the 441-day wait for the 93rd Academy Awards well worth it.

“The Father” star Anthony Hopkins nabbed actor, Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) took home the actress prize, Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) won for supporting actor and “Minari’s” Yuh-Jung Youn claimed supporting actress, becoming the first Korean actor to do so. Nine actors of color earned Academy Award nominations — an Oscar record for diversity in those categories — but only two won. Additionally, more women were nominated in 2021 than in any previous year.

“Nomadland’s” Chloé Zhao made history as well, becoming the second woman and the first woman of color to win an Oscar for directing. The film also won best picture.

Unlike other awards shows during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hollywood’s biggest night was held in person, and televised live on ABC from the...

“Like alien egg sacs”

Free diver and filmmaker Patrick Dykstra goes in search of “some of the world’s most enigmatic creatures” in the Discovery+ documentary series “Chasing Ocean Giants.” Watch an exclusive preview from the series above.

The eight-episode series follows Dykstra as he documents the behavior of whales around the world, “from Arctic Bowheads going head-to-head with killer whales in Russia, to night singing humpbacks in Colombia.”

In the clip from the premiere episode, Dykstra travels to the Caribbean island of Dominica to examine the behavior of sperm whales and encounters a pod of whales taking an eerily vertical “power nap.” According to Dykstra, the reason sperm whales look like “alien egg sacs” while they sleep remains unknown.

Also Read:

Zahi Hawass Dug Up a Lost, 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian City – and Discovery+ Got the TV Rights (Exclusive)

All eight episodes of “Chasing Ocean Giants” are set to debut on the streaming service on Thursday,...

There’s a chase scene in My Octopus Teacher as suspenseful as anything in a Hollywood thriller. The film’s heroine, a tentacled cephalopod, is being pursued by a pajama shark through a kelp forest off the tip of South Africa.

She jets, weaves, inks the waters like Bond expelling smoke from his Aston Martin, dives for shelter, then encrusts herself in a makeshift armor of discarded shells. The aggressive predator latches onto the balled-up octopus, spinning in a frenzied death roll, but can’t penetrate the shells. Then something even more remarkable happens—the octopus seeks protection in the most ingenious way, by attaching herself to the back of the shark so the marauder can’t attack her.

“She’s got the upper hand,” says Craig Foster, the human subject of the film—the male lead, so to speak. “The shark’s been completely outwitted.”

The scene is so...

One of the oddest relationships you’ll see on screen this year is the one between South African filmmaker and diver Craig Foster and the octopus he befriended while diving in the Great African Sea Forest. That’s the relationship at the heart of the documentary “My Octopus Teacher,” which won the British Academy Film Award on Sunday and is nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category.

The Netflix film is based around footage shot by Foster during the year and a half he spent observing and interacting with a female octopus during daily dives he says he made to rekindle his connection with the natural world. Additional material was shot by co-director Pippa Ehrlich in the astounding underwater landscape that was close to Foster’s house in South Africa. Co-director James Reed shot and conducted extensive interviews with Foster that form the spine of the narrative.

It was 11 years ago that South African filmmaker Craig Foster’s life changed forever. While free diving in an underwater kelp forest in False Bay near Cape Town, he encountered a courageous, inquisitive young female octopus. For the next year, he went every day to win her trust as he chronicled her life on film and the two formed a strong bond as he learned about the delicacy of life and the humanity’s link to nature. Anyone who has seen “My Octopus Teacher,” the documentary chronicling their relationship, has been moved by their story.

The Netflix film, which won the PGA Award, is up for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars. Recently, the American Cinematheque held a Zoom conversation between Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (“Free Solo”) and “My Octopus Teacher” directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed.

“The film was a massive collaboration with a team that’s all over the world,...

It’s been a strange year, but cinema endures. The 2021 British Academy Film and Television Awards took place at the Royal Albert Hall on the 11th of April, 2021. In a first in BAFTA history, four women have been nominated in the Director category, including Nomadland director Chloe Zhao, Sarah Gavron for Rocks, and Shannon Murphy for Babyteeth. Other notable nominees include Promising Young Woman, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Father, Saint Maud and Minari. It is a diverse line up, and a very unusual time but the red carpets are rolling out, even if they are in living rooms around the world.

Yesterday director Ang Lee was entered into the BAFTA Fellowship, and Noel Clarke was awarded the Outstanding British Contribution to cinema. This evening Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary hosted the awards and it was a delight to see Yun-Jung Youn’s incredible win for her role in Minari.

Today’s show is being broadcast with a time delay on BBC One at 19:00 UK time.

The Bafta Film Awards 2021 main show is taking place today (April 11) from London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Scroll down for latest winners

An audience will not be present and winners will receive their awards virtually due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.

For the first time, the awards are being handed out across two nights. Saturday’s ceremony (April 10) focused on the craft awards.

Today’s show started at 16:15pm UK time, and is being broadcast with a time delay on BBC One starting...

The 73rd annual Directors Guild of America Awards kicked off on Saturday evening. The awards honored the best directing in film and television of the past year.

This year, nominees Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” David Fincher for “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” vied for the top directorial prize for film, with Zhao winning.

On the TV side, “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Homeland,” and “The Flight Attendant” won the major prizes, shaking up the race as we head into Emmys season.

The DGA prize is often considered a bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Recent DGA winners that went on to repeat at the Academy Awards include Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman...

Chloé Zhao was named the best director of 2020 at the 73rd annual Directors Guild Awards, which were presented on Saturday in a virtual ceremony.

Zhao’s win for her quiet road film “Nomadland” makes her the second woman to win the DGA Award for feature film, after Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Only 10 women have ever been nominated in the category, with this year marking the first time that two female directors were nominated in the category in one year. (The other was Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”)

The win for Zhao comes two weeks after “Nomaldland” also won the Producers Guild Award, making it the only film to win more than one prize from the four major guilds. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” won the Screen Actors Guild’s ensemble award, while “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Writers Guild Awards. The combination...

The 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards took place on Saturday, April 10 in a virtual ceremony. These kudos honored the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. The all-important DGA feature film nominees were Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”). Scroll down for the full winners list in three film and eight TV categories.

The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...

Exclusive: WME has signed James Reed, the co-writer and director behind My Octopus Teacher, Netflix’s first original documentary from South Africa that is up for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It follows Foster as he free-dives in a cold underwater kelp forest in South Africa and develops a relationship with a wild common octopus and documents a year in the unusual friendship.

The pic debuted in September last year and has since won more than 20 international awards, including the Wildscreen Golden Panda, Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton, the IDA’s Pare Lorentz, and a PGA Award. Reed is nominated for the Oscar alongside co-director Pippa Ehrlich and producer-narrator Craig Foster. Also, Reed and Ehrlich picked up DGA Award nom for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Documentaries.

Reed’s other credits include writing and directing the 2017 docu, Rise of The Warrior Apes, which he produced with Keo Films for Discovery. He...

When the 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards take place on April 10, look for some of the big winners to be Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and David France (“Welcome to Chechnya”). These kudos honor the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. Scroll down to see Gold Derby’s predictions in seven categories listed in order of their racetrack odds, with projected winners highlighted in gold.

Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.

Many of your friends have seen “My Octopus Teacher,” which registered frequently among the top 10 movies on Netflix in the U.S., Israel, South Africa, and Australia. Until it proved a global hit, Netflix didn’t intend to push this sleeper pickup for Oscar contention. The movie never played festivals and was barely reviewed when it was released in September 2020. Today, otherwise disengaged Academy voters are now singing its praises.

In order to vote in a category, voters are supposed to see all the contenders (ballots are due April 20). The discerning (and increasingly international) documentary branch voted the South African “My Octopus Teacher” into the final five nominees — unusual for such an accessible and manipulative heart-tugger. Now, an Oscar win for the Critics Choice, IDA, and PGA-winner (and DGA and BAFTA nominee) seems like a foregone conclusion.

Why? During lockdown viewers watched freediver Craig Foster take his daily constitutional in...

Many of your friends have seen “My Octopus Teacher,” which registered frequently among the top 10 movies on Netflix in the U.S., Israel, South Africa, and Australia. Until it proved a global hit, Netflix didn’t intend to push this sleeper pickup for Oscar contention. The movie never played festivals and was barely reviewed when it was released in September 2020. Today, otherwise disengaged Academy voters are now singing its praises.

In order to vote in a category, voters are supposed to see all the contenders (ballots are due April 20). The discerning (and increasingly international) documentary branch voted the South African “My Octopus Teacher” into the final five nominees — unusual for such an accessible and manipulative heart-tugger. Now, an Oscar win for the Critics Choice, IDA, and PGA-winner (and DGA and BAFTA nominee) seems like a foregone conclusion.

Why? During lockdown viewers watched freediver Craig Foster take his daily constitutional in...

Pippa Ehrlich, director, co-writer and editor of the Oscar-nominated documentary “My Octopus Teacher,” has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.

“My Octopus Teacher” follows producer-narrator Craig Foster as he free-dives in a cold underwater kelp forest in South Africa and develops a relationship with a wild common octopus and documents a year in the unusual (and beautiful) friendship. The hit nature documentary, Netflix’s first original doc from South Africa, also marked Ehrlich’s directorial debut.

The film debuted to critical acclaim in September 2020, and has since won more than 20 international awards, including the prestigious Wildscreen Golden Panda, Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton, the IDA’s Pare Lorentz and a PGA Award.

Ehrlich is nominated for the Academy Award for best documentary feature alongside co-director James Reed and Foster. Ehrlich and Reed are also nominated for a DGA Award for outstanding directorial achievement in documentaries. Ehrlich is also...

After spending time with Craig Foster, going through the footage he had captured of an octopus in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa and assembling it into the movie that would eventually become “My Octopus Teacher,” Pippa Ehrlich sensed that something wasn’t right with the film. “We reached a point where we had a cut that we were happy with but something just wasn’t quite working. We had a feeling it was about the voice of the film which at that point was a voiceover,” Ehrlich tells us in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). That was when the executive producer brought in James Reed to help. Reed went down to South Africa and interviewed Foster over three days and both he and Ehrlich knew they had discovered what the film had been lacking. “It was the most interesting conversation I’ve ever had in my life.

UK actors comprised eight out of 20 nominations, while filmmaking talent spanned most categories.

UK filmmaking talent has garnered strong recognition throughout the 2021 Oscar nominations with drama The Father among the frontrunners.

Florian Zeller’s film adaptation of his stage play The Father secured six nominations, including best picture, and ties with five other features in joint second place (David Fincher’s Mank leads the pack with 10 nods).

London-based Trademark Films co-produced the drama with France’s FCommeFilm, Ciné-@ and Les Films du Cru, with backing from the UK’s Embankment Films and Film4.

Anthony Hopkins has been nominated for best...

Shakespeare warned to “beware the Ides of March,” but the 15th brought glad tidings to a select group of documentary feature filmmakers who earned coveted Oscar nominations.

Among them was Pippa Ehrlich, the South African-born director of the Netlix documentary My Octopus Teacher.

“I was surprised enough to jump about a meter and a half into the air,” Ehrlich tells Deadline of her reaction to the nomination. When we reached her she said she still didn’t quite have her feet on the ground. “I’m half way back down to Earth now. It’s been quite an afternoon.”

It was a similar feeling of elation for Romania’s Alexander Nanau, director of Collective, which earned nominations for both Documentary Feature and Best International Film.

“It was a bit like a football game, everybody jumping up,” Nanau says of watching the announcement live. “It’s the first time a Romanian...

Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas and singer, songwriter, and actor Nick Jonas announced the 93rd Oscars® nominations today (March 15), live from London, via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms, an international satellite feed, and broadcast media.

Mank led the field with 10 nominations and becomes the seventh black-and-white film to be nominated for Costume Design and the seventeenth for Cinematography since separate categories for color and black-and-white films were merged in 1967. David Fincher’s film offers a vivid look at Hollywood in the 1930s when movie studios were at the height of their power and influence, and 100 million Americans went to the pictures every week.

Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. Pt. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the...