| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 12 July 2012 |
| Founders | |
| Parent |
|
| Divisions | Studio Silverback |
| Website | silverbackfilms |
Silverback Films is a Bristol-based British natural history film and television production company owned by Banijay UK.
History
Silverback Films was founded in 2012 by wildlife filmmakers Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey,[1] who are known for producing wildlife documentaries and series in partnership with major broadcasters like Netflix, the BBC, and Disney.[2]
In December 2020, Silverback Films launched its feature film production division, Studio Silverback, to focus solely on films that tackle the world’s pressing environmental challenges. This would be led by co-founders Fothergill and Scholey, along with Jonnie Hughes and Colin Butfield.[3][4]
At the start of November 2022, Silverback Films formed a partnership with Steven Spielberg's American entertainment company Amblin Partners via its television production division of Amblin Television, and later under its documentary arm Amblin Documentaries, to produce a series of natural history docuseries for Netflix. The series started with the nature documentary miniseries Life on Our Planet, produced by Silverback Films and Amblin Television and released in 2023.[5][6]
Description
Silverback Films is a film production company owned by Banijay UK.[1] Based in Bristol, England, it produces natural history documentary films.[7]
Filmography
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 2013 | Discovery Channel | co-production with Discovery Channel[8] |
| Bears | 2014 | Cinema release | co-production with Disneynature [9] |
| The Hunt | 2015 | BBC One | co-production with BBC, Open University, CCTV-9 and NDR Naturfilm [10] |
| Monkey Kingdom | 2015 | Cinema release | co-production with Disneynature and Crazy Ape Productions |
| Dolphin Reef | 2018 | Cinema release | co-production with Disneynature |
| Our Planet | 2019-2023 | Netflix | co-production with World Wildlife Fund |
| Dancing with the Birds | 2019 | Netflix | |
| Penguins | 2019 | Cinema release | co-production with Disneynature |
| David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet | 2020 | Netflix | co-production with Altitude Film Entertainment and Netflix |
| Elephant | 2020 | Disney+ | co-production with Disneynature and Wildstar Films |
| A Perfect Planet | 2021 | BBC One | |
| Breaking Boundaries | 2021 | Netflix | co-production with Indikate Productions |
| Polar Bear | 2022 | Disney+ | co-production with Disneynature |
| Life on Our Planet | 2023 | Netflix | co-production with Amblin Television[6][5] |
| Wild Isles | 2023 | BBC One | co-production with RSPB, World Wide Fund for Nature and Open University |
| Ocean with David Attenborough | 2025 | Cinema release | co-production with Open Planet Studios, Altitude Film Entertainment, and Minderoo Productions [11] |
| Parenthood | 2025 | BBC One | co-production with All3Media International [12][13] |
| Sea Lions of the Galapagos | 2025 | Disney+ | co-production with Disneynature |
| The Dinosaurs | 2026 | Netflix | co-production with Amblin Documentaries |
| Secret of the Bees | 2026 | National Geographic | co-production with National Geographic Studios and Lightstorm Earth [14] |
References
- ^ a b Szalai, Georg (4 March 2026). "Banijay Group CEO on How AI, Rise of Creators Drove All3Media Deal: "More Scale, More IP, More Growth"". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "The making of Ocean with David Attenborough, as told by Silverback Films | Royal Television Society". rts.org.uk. 3 June 2025.
- ^ "Studio Silverback – Silverback Films launches new film production company to drive global environmental change". Silverback Films. 13 December 2020.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (9 December 2020). "'Our Planet' Producer Silverback Films Launches Studio Silverback For Environmental Impact Projects (Exclusive)". Variety.
- ^ a b White, Peter (1 November 2022). "Netflix Plots Natural History Push: Morgan Freeman To Narrate Two Series & David Attenborough Returns With Season 2 Of 'Our Planet'". Deadline. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ a b Panaligan, EJ (1 November 2022). "Netflix Orders Six New Natural History Documentary Shows, Including Morgan Freeman-Narrated 'Our Universe' (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (3 December 2020). "All3Media Buys 'Our Planet' Natural History Producer Silverback Films". Variety.
- ^ "7 Part Series North America to Premiere Sunday May 19 on Discovery". TV By the Numbers via internet archive.
- ^ "Bears: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 9 April 2014.
- ^ "'The Hunt': How Producers Made Sure There Are No Villains". Yahoo Entertainment. 2 July 2016.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (18 July 2024). "David Attenborough To Partner With National Geographic On New Documentary Spotlighting Threats To World's Oceans And "How They Can Bounce Back"".
- ^ "Announcing 'Parenthood' for BBC One and iPlayer". Silverback Films. 20 February 2024.
- ^ Creamer, Jon (21 February 2024). "Silverback preps Parenthood for BBC". Televisual.
- ^ Donnelly, Jim (5 March 2026). "Watch 'Secrets of the Bees' on National Geographic March 31 8/7c. Stream on Hulu & Disney+". ABC. Retrieved 14 May 2026.