Movie profile

Lions of the Skeleton Coast

In this captivating tale, lion researcher Dr. Philip Stander follows three orphaned desert lion cubs as they navigate the harsh realities of survival in one of the world’s most unforgiving places, Namibia’s brutal Skeleton Coast. Stander’s passion for these majestic creatures began 40 years ago, when he encountered a lone desert lioness on the Coast shores. But the desert lions soon disappeared from the region, and more than a decade later, he discovers a female cub called Queen”whose life unlocks the survival secrets of desert lions. One day tragedy strikes the Queen’s three granddaughters, who become unexpectedly orphaned, and they embark on a harrowing journey through the empty desert facing starvation. Stander documents their every move, revealing the unique and complex relationship between land and marine predators.

Directed by Lianne Steenkamp