08/11/2006

BBC Films, the feature filmmaking arm of the BBC, and the BBC’s Natural History Unit are producing their first feature film ever, The Meerkats, a dramatic and emotional journey into the heart of African wildlife. The project, due to start shooting this month in the Kalahari Desert, is being co-financed by The Weinstein Company, who is also handling international distribution.

The Meerkats is directed by James Honeyborne, with Joe Oppenheimer and Trevor Ingman producing. The BBC Natural History Unit has been involved in feature films originating from their own award-winning television series, such as Blue Planet and the forthcoming Earth, but this is the first time such an ambitious project has been produced as a feature film right from the outset. Shot using groundbreaking filmmaking techniques, The Meerkats will provide an entertaining look at one family’s daily struggle for survival in the harshest environment on earth. The fact that these small mammals display almost human qualities will make them all the more fascinating to us.

Neil Nightingale, Head of the BBC Natural History Unit, said: “I’m very excited about the potential for this film project, combining the talents of the BBC Natural History Unit and BBC Films. With a strong and emotional story, featuring some of the most charismatic of wildlife characters, this film will appeal to a very broad cinema audience, in Britain and around the world.”

Co-chairman of The Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein, added: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with BBC Films and the Natural History Unit on what will be a spectacular exploration into a fascinating territory in Africa.”