By Judy Shields
Hollywood, California (The Hollywood Times) 02/22/2024 – QUEENS, the female-led docu-series will premiere on Monday, March 4 on National Geographic and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu the next day.
The trailer below is set to Billie Eilish’s hit electropop track “you should see me in a crown,” the trailer introduces viewers to six iconic worlds ruled by the fierce and formidable matriarchs of the animal QUEENdom, setting the stage for a series that transcends everything viewers know about natural history programming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9azic6W1U4
Helmed by a female-led production team from around the world — groundbreaking in the natural history space — and guided by powerful narration from award-winning actress Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Flood, Good Night Oppy), QUEENS is bringing the natural world into focus through the female lens for the very first time. The series features matriarchies and female leaders from around the world to tell stories of sacrifice and resilience but also friendship and love. Each episode showcases matriarchs, from the peace-loving bonobos of the Congo basin to the ruthless jewel bees of Costa Rica to the powerful elephants of the Savanna. Through watching their struggles, successes and heartbreaks, we see the importance of intergenerational love and protection, the fierce lengths a mother will go to to have her children succeed, how the thirst for power can rip families apart, and how even in the face of tragedy, a mother must selflessly persevere.
Four years in the making, QUEENS leverages cutting-edge technology to reveal surprising insights into how females in the natural world rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength to get ahead. The intimate production captured many staggering moments within the animal kingdom for the first time, including rarely seen hyena infanticide, the first filming of bonobos in the canopy from tree platforms, color documentation of the Ngorongoro Crater through the night, and a development time-lapse of the Orchid bee brood. The final episode of the series celebrates the women who have gone to the ends of the Earth and dedicated their lives to documenting and protecting animal queens.
The Hollywood Times had the opportunity to speak with several of the women behind the cameras and scenes that has brought this amazing, must see docu-series. We had the opportunity to watch this series, which is narrated by actress Angela Bassett and she is also an executive producer on the series. Enjoy the conversations:
I had the opportunity to watch the series QUEENS and from the bottom on my heart, you don’t want to miss this series. The series covers matriarchs and female leaders from around the world including elephants, hyenas, lions, bears, Bonobo chimps, gelada monkeys, Ethiopian wolves, orcas and even insects like the blue orchard queen bee, and leaf cutter ants. That episode was so amazing, their struggles, their life and beauty. The nighttime footage of lions and hyenas was amazing! Every episode will have wishing there was more stories, more footage and the music that was featured in each of the episode will have your heart pounding, bring tears to your eyes and bring out all your emotions. I realize there have been many documentaries about wild animals, but honestly, I have to say this series is one of the best I have even seen and it will capture your time in the best way it can be spent. So gather the entire family and learn some history about these female matriarchs, some beautiful photography and music to keep you captivated. Judy Shields, The Hollywood Times
QUEENS is produced by Wildstar Films for National Geographic. For Wildstar Films, Vanessa Berlowitz is executive producer, and Chloe Sarosh serves as showrunner and writer. Sophie Darlington and Justine Evans are the series’ directors of photography. For National Geographic, Pamela Caragol is executive producer, and Janet Han Vissering is senior vice president of Development and Production.
About National Geographic Content
Award-winning and critically acclaimed National Geographic Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, creates and delivers riveting stories and experiences in natural history, science, adventure and exploration. Inspiring a deeper connection to the world, the content studio reaches 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages across the global National Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Its diverse content includes Emmy® Award-winning franchise Genius, series Life Below Zero and Secrets of the Whales, and Oscar®- and BAFTA award-winning film Free Solo. In 2022, National Geographic Content was awarded eight News and Documentary Emmys, in addition to Life Below Zero’s Emmy win for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program, its sixth Emmy overall.
For more information, visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com or follow Nat Geo on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
