Ocean with David Attenborough (2025)

Award-winning nature documentary Ocean with David Attenborough has a clear call to action: protect our oceans. By embedding an impact producer from the start, the film focused on two key goals – creating Marine Protected Areas and banning the destructive practice of bottom trawling.
Protecting our oceans through storytelling
Award-winning nature documentary Ocean with David Attenborough has a clear call to action: protect our oceans. By embedding an impact producer from the start, the film focused on two key goals – creating Marine Protected Areas and banning the destructive practice of bottom trawling.

Why is it effective?

01.

Raising awareness
The film features powerful footage exposing the destruction caused to the seabed by bottom trawling, helping audiences understand the scale of the issue.

02.

Strategic timing
The release aligned with the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, where the UN was working with countries to ratify the High Seas Treaty, aimed at protecting 30% of the world’s seas by 2030.

03.

Political engagement
To engage UK policymakers, a shortened version of the film was screened at 10 Downing Street with more than 50 MPs, including the Prime Minister.

04.

Public engagement
The campaign included discussion guides, free school screenings and information sheets for teachers, alongside resources linking audiences to actions they could take.

The Impact

01.

Global commitments
In September 2025, 60 countries ratified the High Seas Treaty, including the UK.

02.

Audience reach
Released on David Attenborough’s 99th birthday, the film became the highest-grossing nature documentary of the decade, screening in more than 580 cinemas and reaching audiences through National Geographic, Disney+ and Hulu.

03.

Youth engagement
A free school screening programme was created to reach younger audiences. The impact campaign was developed and executed by Open Planet.

Related Case Studies

View all Case Studies