30/04/2026
“Indeed Attenborough says ‘there’s more meaning in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than with any other wild animals I know’ – I couldn’t agree more.”
A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough dropped on Netflix on 17 April 2026. It's directed by James Reed and Callum Webster, and produced by Silverback Films for Netflix.
→ Here’s why it’s worth your while:
The film follows the Pablo group, the largest mountain gorilla family ever recorded, set in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda and Volcanoes National Park. Attenborough first met the baby gorilla Pablo in 1978 while filming "Life on Earth" at Dian Fossey's research station, where a young Pablo playfully reclined on top of him, an encounter that helped raise global awareness for the mountain gorilla population at the time. The first picture shows this encounter with Pablo.
The story weaves together contemporary and archival footage, including excerpts from Attenborough's 1978 journals, charting how Pablo’s direct descendants are thriving today in the mountains of Rwanda almost 50 years later. This is a direct example of successful conservation, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable pressure.
Praveen Moman, Volcanoes Safaris Founder, states: “It is not only a scientifically important work in helping understand the lives of the different gorilla families in Rwanda but an intense and dramatic story of the personal relationships between the gorillas, reminiscent of an extended human family. The film is a reminder that the gorillas have survived thanks to the commitment of the governments of the region, conservation organisations, communities, the private sector and revenue generated by sensitive and controlled ecotourism.”
Praveen highlights something truly important about the intrinsic value of ethically run tourism for wildlife conservation: where all parties involved share responsibility for preserving the natural world, wildlife and wild spaces thrive.
Reviewers have called this Attenborough’s most personal and emotional film yet, deliberately intimate and restrained in tone compared to his other work.
Wild Wonderful World Founder Michelle Pengilly tells us how much she related to Attenborough’s experience with Pablo, through her own encounters with the mountain Gorillas of Rwanda and Uganda:
“I may be biased as a nature guide in thinking that wildlife documentaries are superior to most other films, but this one really is worth a watch. Rwanda’s Virunga Mountain Range is home to a team of conservationists that deserves recognition for the incredible success they have achieved in protecting mountain gorillas – the Virunga population has rebounded from around 250 individuals in the 1980s to roughly 600 gorillas today.”
“In true Attenborough style, the filming is exquisite, but it is the behaviour, relationships and emotions captured that make it such an enthralling watch. There is something unique about gorillas. Spending time with them feels different to other animals. I’ve been struck by them each and every time I’ve been fortunate enough to trek them in Rwanda and Uganda. Perhaps it is how human-like their behaviour is, it’s a physical reminder of our own emotions and fears. Indeed Attenborough says ‘there’s more meaning in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than with any other wild animals I know’ – I couldn’t agree more.”
🦍 Keen to see if your experience evokes the same connection for you? Volcanoes Safaris in collaboration with WWF-UK, Fauna & Flora and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund have launched a joint fundraising prize draw to win a once‑in‑a‑lifetime mountain gorilla experience. All funds raised will go towards WWF-UK, Fauna & Flora and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. You can enter here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/gorilla-experience
