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James Reed

James Reed

Directing

Biography

Reed’s credits as a director include the multi-award-winning features Jago - A Life Under Water and Rise of the Warrior Apes. In 2021, Reed received further accolade as the director of My Octopus Teacher, the story of a South African filmmaker who forges an unexpected friendship with an octopus, which became a huge critical and audience success on Netflix and went on to win the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 93rd Academy Awards. Jonny Keeling, Head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, said: “I’m delighted to be embarking on a collaborative development partnership with James Reed and Matt Houghton, the outstanding creative talents of Underdog Films. “Character and emotional storytelling are at the heart of filmmaking both at the NHU and Underdog Films, so we look forward to developing a number of original, ambitious and compelling natural history features for audiences across the globe. I’m hugely excited to welcome James and Matt’s input and perspectives to the NHU’s creative development process and can’t wait to start working with them.” James Reed, Managing Director, Underdog Films, said: “We are very excited to get into this with the NHU. They’ve been at the forefront of natural history film-making for decades and their further growth in the feature doc market will be a fantastic development for the industry as a whole.” Matt Houghton, Underdog Films, adds: “Collaboration and successful partnerships are a key part of Underdog Films’ approach to filmmaking and we’re delighted to be working with the talented storytellers of the NHU. The team has exciting, ambitious plans and we’re looking forward to contributing to stories that will be entertaining, enlightening and thought-provoking.”

Known For

The Oscars
7.0

An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.

The Oscars

1953
A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough
7.4

Veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough tells the story of a remarkable group of gorillas, from his first encounter in the '70s to the present day.

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough

2026
Frozen Planet II
8.4

Ten years on from the original Frozen Planet, this documentary series takes audiences back to the wildernesses of the Arctic and Antarctica and tells the complete story of the entire frozen quarter of our planet that’s locked in ice and blanketed in snow.

Frozen Planet II

2022
Chimp Empire
8.0

A vast community of chimpanzees thrives in a forest in Uganda, navigating complex social politics, family dynamics and dangerous territory disputes.

Chimp Empire

2023
My Octopus Teacher
7.9

After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.

My Octopus Teacher

2020
Shark Whisperer
6.6

Marine conservationist and social media activist Ocean Ramsey fearlessly swims with sharks in this documentary about her risky mission to protect them.

Shark Whisperer

2025
Rise of the Warrior Apes
7.8

Filmed over 23 years, Rise of the Warrior Apes tells the epic story of an extraordinary troop of chimpanzees in Ngogo, Uganda – featuring four mighty warriors who rule through moral ambiguity, questionable politics, strategic alliances and destroyed trust.

Rise of the Warrior Apes

2017
Wild Korea
6.0

In 2018, the eyes of the world turn to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the Winter Olympics. For thousands of years Korea was known for its staggering natural beauty. Now it is better known for its decades of conflict. But beyond the battle scars and the fortifications there is a land of stunning natural beauty and remarkable wildlife. Lush wetlands and mudflats; soaring mountains and turbulent seas; habitats where the beautiful goshawk, the bottleneck dolphin and the curious raccoon dog thrive alongside Korea’s traditional people as they have for many thousands of years.

Wild Korea

2019
Betty White Goes Wild
7.0

Seven-time Emmy Award winner Betty White shares her love for animals and VIP backstage pass to three of America's top zoos and safari parks for a characteristically irreverent, intimate and unique tour of everything big cat.

Betty White Goes Wild

2013
Life on the Edge
N/A

Once greatly troubled himself – haunted by a friend’s death and his own brushes with violence – Nuka has turned his life around. He journeys through the remote indigenous settlements of Greenland, speaking about mental health and suicide prevention. Surrounded by vast glaciers and ice sheets, a land at the very edge of the world, Nuka works with a troubled teen, a phlegmatic hunter and a single mother; each has demons they are trying to come to terms with, and a desire to break with cycles of intergenerational trauma.

Life on the Edge

2024
Jago: A Life Underwater
6.8

Jago tells the story of an 80 year old sea nomad called Rohani who has spent his life plying the waters of South East Asia’s Coral Triangle. The story is told entirely from Rohani’s perspective, against the spectacular backdrop of the Togian Islands, and recreates events that capture the turning points in his life, as a hunter and as a man. We were able to bring Rohani’s past experiences to life by working closely with his family and friends in the village where he grew up. These are the people you see representing Rohani in the film at various stages in his life. Story telling is a big part of Bajau culture, and a way of preserving traditions through generations, so everyone was very enthusiastic about what we were trying to do and brought lots of ideas of their own, especially Rohani. Although he had never had a camera pointed at him, it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d sat around telling stories. We were just lucky that he let us capture it on film.

Jago: A Life Underwater

2015