Gorillas on the Brink The recent mysterious killings of four critically endangered gorillas in the Virunga National Park, bordering Rwanda and Congo, sent shockwaves through the international conservationist community. In a twist of fate, Animal Planet recently filmed a television special documenting gorillas from this region and their desperate struggle to survive. Golden Globe winner and Oscar®-nominated actress Natalie Portman (Closer, Garden State, the Star Wars trilogy) partnered with Animal Planet to appear in this new special as part of her recent travels to Rwanda. There, she witnessed firsthand the plight of the diminishing number of gorillas in the region shortly before the recent accounts. Welcomed by the Rwandan government, Portman and animal icon Jack Hanna spotlight the gorillas — who so closely resemble humans — in an international effort to bring attention to their dire crisis. GORILLAS ON THE BRINK, slated to air this fall as part of Animal Planet's Emmy® Award-winning series SAVING A SPECIES, is an intimate journey through the mysterious lives of these endangered primates.
Koko : A Talking Gorilla In 1977, acclaimed director Barbet Schroeder and cinematographer Nestor Almendros entered the universe of the world’s most famous primate, to create the captivating documentary Koko: A Talking Gorilla. The film introduces us to the remarkable Koko at the age of three, recently brought from the San Francisco Zoo to Stanford University by Dr. Penny Patterson for a controversial experiment—she would be taught the basics of human communication through American sign language. An entertaining, troubling, and still relevant documentary, Koko: A Talking Gorilla sheds light on the ongoing ethical and philosophical debates over the individual rights of animals and brings us face to face with the amazing "individual" caught in the middle.
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