Continuing to build on its award-winning slate of documentary programming, Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, unveiled four new non-fiction titles at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last month. Included was “The Ivory Game,” from directors Richard Ladkani and Kief Davidson, described as an epic documentary feature and international thriller that takes audiences to the frontlines of the fight to end elephant extinction across Africa, in an undercover investigation into the sinister underbelly of ivory trafficking.
Award-winning director Richard Ladkani and Academy Award–nominated director Kief Davidson filmed undercover for 16 months with a crack team of intelligence operatives, undercover activists, passionate frontline rangers and tough-as-nails conservationists, to infiltrate the corrupt global network of ivory trafficking. A production from Terra Mater Film Studios and Vulcan Productions, the film follows poachers in pursuit of the ‘white gold’ of ivory. Time is running out for these African elephants, dangerously nearing closer and closer to extinction.
Leonardo DiCaprio is an executive producer of the documentary.
Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentary Programming said, “The breadth of our slate… speaks to Netflix’s continued celebration of diverse voices and styles in the world of nonfiction. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of the documentary form, and our films… represent both emerging talent and iconic filmmakers during a thrilling time for documentaries.”
Netflix also recently released Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” a searing look at the history of racial injustice in the U.S., which was the first ever nonfiction film to premiere opening night of the New York Film Festival.
Last year, Netflix saw two of its documentary titles, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” and “Winter on Fire,” compete in the Oscar race following successful festival runs. Netflix’s first original documentary acquisition, “The Square,” received a Documentary Feature Academy Award nomination in 2013.
“The Ivory Game” will launch on Netflix on November 4. A first trailer for the critically-acclaimed documentary has premiered, and is embedded below:
