A Gorilla Story, a documentary celebrating Rwanda’s mountain gorillas and the country’s conservation success, has won the prestigious Golden Panda Award at the 2026 Wildscreen Festival in the United Kingdom, one of the highest honours in international wildlife filmmaking. Narrated by renowned British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, the documentary won the award for Best Overall Production at a ceremony held in Bath, England, on Thursday, October 22. ALSO READ: Documentary on Rwanda’s gorilla conservation premieres on Netflix The film was produced by Silverback Films for Netflix, in association with Appian Way, and developed in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. The Golden Panda is Wildscreen’s highest accolade, recognising outstanding achievements in wildlife and natural history storytelling. Often described as the “Green Oscars,” the awards have celebrated excellence in wildlife filmmaking since 1982. In a special video message, Attenborough welcomed the recognition, describing Rwanda’s mountain gorilla conservation efforts as a remarkable success story. “I must also say how delighted I am that Wildscreen has chosen to give A Gorilla Story a Golden Panda,” he said. “Gorillas are a species that are close to my heart, and it’s a joy to be able to tell a truly positive conservation story about them.” Attenborough recalled his first encounter with Rwanda’s mountain gorillas in 1978, when he filmed them for the landmark BBC documentary series Life on Earth. “When I filmed these particular gorillas for Life on Earth back in 1978, there were only 250 mountain gorillas left,” he said. “Today, happily, there are over 600 of them in the Virunga Mountains, more than double since I was there. It’s a remarkable success story, and one that I am delighted to share in this film.” His remarks underscored the progress made in protecting the endangered species over nearly five decades, with Rwanda playing a central role in conservation efforts. The documentary premiered globally on Netflix on April 17 and follows the descendants of Pablo, a mountain gorilla Attenborough first encountered as an infant during his historic visit to Rwanda. Drawing on rare archival footage and newly filmed scenes in Volcanoes National Park, the documentary explores the lives, relationships and survival of successive generations of the gorilla family. The filmmakers spent more than 250 days filming over several years, capturing previously unseen behaviours and offering audiences an intimate look at mountain gorilla life. Attenborough’s message to filmmakers Beyond celebrating the award, Attenborough used his recorded address to highlight the growing importance of wildlife filmmaking in raising awareness of environmental conservation. Recalling his longstanding association with Wildscreen, dating back to the festival’s inaugural edition in 1982, he praised its contribution to the industry. “It’s always brought our wildlife filmmaking community together and celebrated the very best of our industry,” he said. He added that the festival had assumed an increasingly important role in supporting filmmakers whose work helps audiences around the world understand the state of the planet. “Through the work of people in this room and many others, we have a powerful voice in helping to create a future in which humanity and nature can thrive together.” The 2026 Panda Awards attracted 624 entries from 46 countries.
