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S38 Ep4

Okavango: River of Dreams - Episode 1: Paradise

Premiere: 10/23/2019 | 00:01:17 |

Experience the wildlife of the Okavango Delta, an unlikely oasis and lush paradise in Southern Africa that connects and supports a wide array of creatures. Lions chase elephants, who chase hippos, who chase crocodiles. F. Murray Abraham narrates.

About the Episode

The Okavango in Southern Africa is a special river born in the highlands of Angola. Unlike most rivers that flow toward the shores of a nearby ocean, it instead runs inland through Botswana. After more than 1,000 miles, the waters of the Okavango create a huge river delta before finally disappearing into the Kalahari Desert. The Okavango Delta is a true natural wonder – an unlikely oasis and lush paradise in the middle of a hostile desert that supports and feeds an incredible abundance of wildlife. Here an all-star cast of charismatic African wildlife lives and dies in the timeless drama of survival. This three-part, blue-chip series, filmed by award-winning Dereck and Beverly Joubert (Nature: Soul of the Elephant), presents a unique ecosystem at its finest and most beautiful. Narrated by F. Murray Abraham.

Episode 1: Paradisepremiered Wednesday, October 23 at 8 pm ET on PBS (check local listings)
Explore the landscape and wildlife of the Upper Okavango River. A lioness severely injured by a buffalo is left for dead by her pride. Now handicapped, she has to survive in the swamp alone, hunting to feed her little cubs.

Episode 2: Limbopremiered Wednesday, October 30 at 8 pm ET on PBS (check local listings)
Delve into the landscape and wildlife of the “Middle World,” the delta of the Okavango River. A hyena and a warthog family share neighboring dens, helping each other by keeping an eye on threatening predators such as lions and leopards.

Episode 3: Infernopremiered Wednesday, November 6 at 8 pm ET on PBS (check local listings)
Discover the landscape and wildlife of the Lower Okavango River, where the land is baked dry by the scorching sun. Large herds of zebra and wildebeest migrate to the dry plains in search of the precious salt that these animals need.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

NARRATED BY
F. MURRAY ABRAHAM

PRODUCED BY
DERECK JOUBERT
BEVERLY JOUBERT

WRITTEN BY
DERECK JOUBERT

CINEMATOGRAPHY
DERECK JOUBERT
TAYLOR TURNER

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
CASEY ANDERSON
LUKE BARNETT
JAMES BOON
NEL BOSHOFF
GRANT BROKENSHA
LUKE CORMACK

OKAVANGO SERIES EDITOR
JOLENE VAN ANTWERP

EPISODE EDITORS
JOLENE VAN ANTWERP (EPISODES 1 & 2)
MELISSA PARRY S.A.G.E. (EPISODE 3)
ONLINE EDITORS
ANDRIES DE JAGER
MARTIN LLOYD
JOHAN WENTZEL

ASSISTANT EDITORS
WARREN FREIMOND
INNOCENTIA MAOTA

GRAPHIC DESIGNER
CLINT CORDEN

COLORIST
CRAIG SIMONETTI

SOUND PRODUCTION & DESIGN
BEVERLY JOUBERT

SOUND EFFECTS DESIGN
JULI VANDENBERG S.A.G.E.

SOUND ASSISTANT
ABIGAIL COOKE

FOLEY ARTISTS
RON NELL
VAL NELL

RE-RECORDING ENGINEER
CHARLOTTE BUYS

ORIGINAL MUSIC BY
JB ARTHUR
SARAH CLASS

ORCHESTRATION
TILO HEINRICH

MUSIC RECORDING ENGINEER
RICHARD MITCHELL ORCHESTRA
THE JOHANNESBURG FILM ORCHESTRA

TITLE MUSIC
“SWEET DREAMS”
WRITTEN BY ANNIE LENNOX / DAVE STEWART
PERFORMED BY MARILYN MANSON
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE
VANESSA YELSETH

PRODUCTION MANAGER
LORNA GIBSON

SPECIAL THANKS
THE PRESIDENT AND THE PEOPLE OF BOTSWANA
THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT,
WILDLIFE AND TOURISM OF BOTSWANA
GREAT PLAINS CONSERVATION
SELINDA RESERVE
DUBA PLAINS GUIDES

UNDERWATER DIVING EXPERT
SVEN BOURQUIN

FOR TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
IVO FILATSCH
SABINE HOLZER

LINE PRODUCER
ALDO METZELAAR

PRODUCTION MANAGER
TRAUDE BOTHA

UNIT MANAGER
DINAH CZEZIK-MÜLLER

FOR NATURE

SERIES EDITOR
JANET HESS

SENIOR PRODUCER
LAURA METZGER LYNCH

COORDINATING PRODUCER
JAYNE JUN

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
JAMES F. BURKE

LEGAL COUNSEL
BLANCHE ROBERTSON

DIGITAL LEAD
DANIELLE STEINBERG

SENIOR DIGITAL PRODUCER
HEATHER TONER

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
KAREN HO

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
CHELSEY SAATKAMP

BUDGET CONTROLLER
JAYNE LISI

ONLINE EDITOR
CHRIS GUIDO

RE-RECORDING MIXER
JON BERMAN

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION FUNDING PROVIDED IN PART BY
The Arnhold Family
Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III
The Fairweather Foundation
Kate W. Cassidy Foundation
Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao
Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust
Filomen M. D’Agostino Foundation
Rosalind P. Walter
Sandra Atlas Bass
Doris R. and Robert J. Thomas
The Arlene and Milton D. Berkman Philanthropic Fund
Corporation for Public Broadcasting

SERIES PRODUCER
BILL MURPHY

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
FRED KAUFMAN

A PRODUCTION OF THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC, TERRA MATER
FACTUAL STUDIOS AND WILDLIFE FILMS IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH
DOCLIGHTS/NDR NATURFILM, IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTE FRANCE,
SVERIGES TELEVISION AB, AND WNET

THIS PROGRAM WAS PRODUCED BY THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC,
WHICH IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT
© 2019 THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

TRANSCRIPT

(rhythmic music) (lion roars) - [Narrator] There is a place in Africa where everything lives in a state of tension.

Lions have pushed too far into the swamplands and they know it but everything is drawn to this oasis, a paradise in the middle of the desert, the Okavango.

It's the most extraordinary river in the world, where water connects everything.

To live here is to live dangerously.

(rhythmic music) But the riches are great and everyone wants a part.

This is an unprecedented journey into the Okavango, a pristine sanctuary.

It is paradise not lost but found.

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