BBC, ABC head up River

River is said to explore the relationship between people and rivers

The BBC in the UK has teamed up with fellow public broadcaster the ABC in Australia on a feature documentary looking at rivers on six continents.

River is being produced by Stranger Than Fiction Films in Australia and Arrow Pictures in the UK. The collaboration between the two companies reunites the team behind feature documentaries Sherpa and Mountain.

Jennifer Peedom

Commissioned by ABC Arts and BBC Arts and coproduced with distributors Dogwoof and Madman Entertainment, with major production investment from Screen Australia and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), the doc explores the relationship between humans and rivers.

River features specially composed music by the ACO’s Richard Tognetti and narration written by Robert Macfarlane, author of bestselling books about landscape, nature and place. The score also features music from Jonny Greenwood and Radiohead.

The film is directed by Jennifer Peedom, co-directed by Joseph Nizeti and produced by Jo-Anne McGowan and Jennifer Peedom from Stranger than Fiction and John Smithson from Arrow Pictures. International distributor Dogwoof will handle worldwide sales, starting at the European Film Market from March 1.