From the team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim's extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way, the film is an unflinching and unsentimental biography of an animal we tried to make human. What we learn about his true nature - and indeed our own - is comic, revealing and profoundly unsettling.
Related Movies
Kein Platz für wilde Tiere (1956)
Almost 70 years ago, the then director of Frankfurt Zoo, Prof. Bernhard Grzimek (1909-1987), shot this famous animal documentary about the African continent with his son Michael. The documentary was considered an impressive plea for the preservation of Africa's animal paradises at the time. It vividly illustrates the far-reaching consequences of the impending loss of what were then still largely untouched natural landscapes. Despite visible signs of age, the film has retained much of its fascination as a contemporary document to this day.
Secret Lives of Orangutans (2024)
Follow a multi-generational orangutan family through their treetop triumphs and travails in this immersive documentary narrated by David Attenborough.
Jane (2017)
Drawing from never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives, director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.
World War Chimp | The Brutal 1974 - 1978 Gombe Chimpanzee War: Documentary (2019)
When chimps go to war...
The Wildebeest Migration: Nature's Greatest Journey (2012)
Every year, on the steppes of the Serengeti, the most spectacular migration of animals on our planet: Around two million wildebeest, Burchell's zebra and Thomson's gazelles begin their tour of nearly 2,000 miles across the almost treeless savannah. For the first time, a documentary captures stunning footage in the midst of this demanding journey. The documentary starts at the beginning of the year, when more than two million animals gather in the shadow of the volcanoes on the southern edge of the Serengeti in order to birth their offspring. In just two weeks, the animal herd's population has increased by one third, and after only two days, the calves can already run as fast as the adults The young wildebeest in this phase of their life are the most vulnerable to attacks by lions, cheetahs, leopards or hyenas. The film then follows the survivors of these attacks through the next three months on their incredible journey, a trip so long that 200,000 wildebeest will not reach the end.
The Grammar of Happiness (2012)
The Grammar Of Happiness follows the story of Daniel Everett among the extraordinary 'nonconvertible' Amazonian Pirah tribe, a group of indigenous hunter- gatherers whose culture and outlook on life has taken the world of linguistics by storm. As a young ambitious missionary three decades ago, Dan, a red-bearded towering American, decamped to the Amazon rain forest to save indigenous souls. His assignment was to translate the book of Mark into the tongue of the Pirah, a people whose puzzling speech seemed unrelated to any other on Earth. What he learned during his time with the Pirah led him to question the very foundations of his own deep beliefs. As a 'born again' atheist, Dan divorced his devout Christian wife and became estranged from his children. Having lost faith and family, his new life is dominated by the desire to leave behind his legacy. Everett's most controversial claim is that the Pirah language lacks 'recursion' - the ability to build an infinite number of sentences.
A Reindeer's Journey (2018)
Narrated by Golden Globe winner, Donald Sutherland, this is the incredible story of Ailo, the little reindeer. This uplifting tale follows the journey of baby Ailo as he navigates his first year of life in the snowy landscapes of a picturesque Lapland. Frail and vulnerable, Ailo must learn to walk, run, leap and hide to ensure he survives the long, treacherous journey with the herd. Ailo’s Journey is an inspirational story, in which a bleak wilderness is warmed by a mother’s endless love as she watches over Ailo in his incredible adventures with other creatures of the Arctic.
Jane Goodall: The Hope (2020)
The story of one remarkable woman who became a global icon in animal welfare and conservation who not only hoped for a better world, she achieved it! This sweeping documentary celebrates the vast legacy of Dr. Goodall’s four decades of advocacy work for chimpanzees and depicts the next chapter for generations to come.
Hidden Contamination (2015)
The 20 km zone surrounding the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant was designated an evacuation zone due to the radiation caused by the accident in March 2011. However, the thousands of people of Itate, situated just outside the zone, and those who had fled the area and taken shelter there were left to their own devices for over a month. Later on Itate became a restricted area and the residents were allowed only visits having to leave the area for good. The place became a ghost town, as it was too close to the Zone and many pets and farm animals are stranded there. There are said to be 150~200 dogs, 400~800 cats, 50 chickens and a pig although the exact numbers are unknown. The public interest in the accident has all but gone but there is one man who still cares what happens to those animals.
Do I Sound Gay? (2015)
What makes a voice “gay”? A breakup with his boyfriend sets journalist David Thorpe on a quest to unravel a linguistic mystery.
Yellowstone: The Mystery of the Wolves (2018)
70 years after the last wolves roamed the national park, a total of 41 wolves were reintroduced between 1995 and 1997. A globally unique experiment that had many supporters, but also resolute opponents, then as now.
Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees (2002)
Showcased in beautiful IMAX format, this documentary takes viewers into the hearts, minds and world of chimpanzees as it profiles legendary scientist Dr. Jane Goodall's work among the chimps at Gombe Park on Africa's Lake Tanganyka. Dr. Goodall and other researchers give us an up-close look at the daily lives of the Gombe chimp families -- Fifi and sons Freud and alpha male Frodo, along with Gremlin, Gaia and the endearing Galahad.
Mahout: The Great Elephant Walk (2014)
Imagine walking some of the largest land animals in existence across one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Intelligent, majestic and awe-inspiring, Elephants have a long and fascinating history with man. On this epic journey we experience the modern day relationship between man and beast.
Pant Hoot (2020)
A genocide survivor transcends overwhelming odds to become a master chimpanzee linguist
Supergiant Animals (2013)
Steve Backshall travels across the world to encounter the most charismatic supergiant animals and discovers the remarkable things that their size enables them to do. Highlights include Steve swimming with Nile crocodiles in Botswana, dodging two-ton elephant seals in California and diving with sperm whales in the Caribbean.
Humanzee: The Human Chimp (2003)
Oliver is a chimpanzee who not only can walk upright, but does of his own accord. For years there have been debate's over Oliver's identity. All those who know Oliver swear that he is at least somewhat human. Is Oliver a chimpanzee and human hybrid, a well trained chimpanzee, or something altogether different?