A 17-year-old lioness queen raises five cubs in a war zone between farmers and survival.
On the edge of the Namibian desert, cattle farmers are looking for new land to graze their animals. The lions, who occupied these previously wild spaces, are hunted by herd guards, or even slaughtered when they attack cows. Will and Lianne Steenkamp lived for two years in a territory occupied by a 17-year-old lioness - a "queen" -, her two daughters and their five lion cubs. This film traces the process of empowering the young: after learning to hunt alone, they will have to leave the family pack and find young females to reproduce. A necessity all the greater as their species seems threatened.
Cinematography
Steenkamps spent two years earning trust; every frame shows it.
Direction
No narration cop-outs—let the lions' silence tell the story.
Editing
46 minutes of pure tension; no nature-doc padding.
Director
Will Steenkamp
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Namib desert lions are genetically isolated, making this matriline's survival globally significant.
The Steenkamps lived without crew or backup—Will filmed while Lianne tracked, often alone with 400kg predators.
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