English summary

‘A super-romantic film.’

‘A powerful, funny, moving portrait of a monumental woman.’

Beautiful, intensely romantic film about Jane Goodall in her younger years. She later became world famous for her groundbreaking research on the behaviour of chimpanzees in their natural environment.

She was a 26-year-old secretary when palaeontologist Richard Leakey gave her the chance to go to Africa. Lacking any experience, knowledge or academic training, Jane ventured into the wilderness and, in time, became the first person to research ape behaviour in the wild. An open mind, a thirst for knowledge, patience and a love of animals were the job requirements and she had them in abundance. The film includes idyllic, almost surreal scenes in which Jane approaches the chimpanzees and the hazards of the jungle with what now seems extraordinary naivety. The love that blossoms between Jane and the Dutch wildlife photographer Hugo van Lawick is also recorded.

This is never-before-seen footage, having only been discovered in 2014, when more than 100 hours of film material was found in the archives of National Geographic. This treasure trove was used by Director Brett Morgen to make this film. Add to this the down-to-earth commentary by the now 83-year-old Jane Goodall and the music composed by Philip Glass and the result is an incredibly moving, sublime film.

Jane has now won 8 awards and 15 nominations and seems a likely candidate for the Best Documentary Oscar.