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The latest David Attenborough documentary sees the celebrated broadcaster highlight the importance of the world’s oceans. It is set to be released the same day as his 99th birthday.
Ocean with David Attenborough is directed by Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey, and Colin Butfield, and produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios in association with All3Media International, National Geographic, and Minderoo Pictures.
Silverback Films described the new documentary as Attenborough’s “greatest message of hope” yet, a feature-length film about the importance of healthy oceans for a healthy planet. Altitude Films published a trailer for Ocean with David Attenborough earlier this month.
“After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand the most important place on earth is not on land, but at sea,” said Attenborough in the trailer. “Today, it is in such poor health I would find it hard not to lose hope, were it not for the most remarkable discovery of all: the ocean can recover faster than we had ever imagined. It can bounce back to life.”
The new film comes to cinemas on May 8, 2025. In addition to launching on Attenborough’s 99th birthday, the film’s release is timed ahead of World Ocean Day and the United Nations Ocean Conference in June. This year also marks the halfway point of the United Nations’ “Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development” (2021 – 2030).
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‘If we save the sea, we save our world’
On April 24, NGO Dynamic Planet and National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas programme launched the Attenborough-backed Revive Our Ocean initiative. It aims to assist local communities in their efforts to establish marine protected areas in coastal waters.
Life on earth is reliant on healthy seas, but without immediate intervention, the world’s oceans will be unrecognizable within just 20 years. More than 190,000 marine protected areas would need to be established in the next five years to meet the agreed-upon “30-by-30” target of protecting 30 percent of oceans, which some experts say may not be enough.
“This is the story of our ocean, and how we must write its next chapter together,” said Attenborough in the trailer. “For if we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I’m sure that nothing is more important.”
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