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Airdate: Jane

Critically-acclaimed doco profiling famed primate naturalist Jane Goodall, will screen on Nat Geo.

Critically-acclaimed documentary Jane, profiling famed primate naturalist Jane Goodall, will screen on National Geographic in March.

Scored by Phillip Glass, this has screened at major film festivals in Toronto, New York and London.

The film, from Oscar-and Emmy-nominated director Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, The Kid Stays in the Picture) uses a trove of 16mm footage to tell the story of Jane Goodall, a young untrained woman whose chimpanzee research challenged the male-dominated scientific consensus of her time and revolutionised our understanding of the natural world.

Described by The Wall Street Journal as “the leading revolutionary of American documentary film”, Morgen tells the story by drawing from over 100 hours of unseen footage filmed by Hugo van Lawick, a National Geographic filmmaker who would fall in love and eventually marry Goodall, as well as research footage from the Jane Goodall Institute, Goodall family videos and personal commentary, Jane offers an unprecedented, intimate portrait of the trailblazer who defied the odds to become one of the world’s most admired conservationists.

“The film is very much a love story, except the love is not between man and woman,” Morgen says. “The love is between a woman and her work and a man and his work. Most people have this romantic idea that the most important relationship in life is with your partner, your lover, your spouse, but for a lot of driven people, their primary relationship is with their work.”

Set to a rich orchestral score from world-renowned composer Philip Glass, the film enjoyed its world premiere at 2017’s Toronto Film Festival, US premiere at New York Film Festival and European Premiere at BFI London Film Festival. It has been lauded by critics internationally;

“Few films this year offer up such lush and formal components. A film of deep emotional beauty. Required viewing for anyone seeking a classic in the making.” – IndieWire

“It’s epic elements of adventure, romance, and spiritual connection possess a sweep equal to any narrative film. A wonderous, moving and truly stirring portrait.” – Hollywood Reporter

“One of the best documentaries of 2017. An astonishing accomplishment. Morgen is setting the bar for profile documentaries and changing the rules for his field” – Roger Ebert.com

7:30pm Sunday 11 March on National Geographic Australia.

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