DR. TIM LIVERSEDGE
Director, Cinematographer, Producer, Artist
Roar: Lions of the Kalahari has indeed introduced a new level of action into Imax wildlife documentaries, thanks to a unique confluence of talent and technology.
American Cinematographer Magazine
Tim Liversedge was born in London and moved to Africa with his family at the age of one. He is a citizen of Botswana where he has spent most of his life. Wildlife, art, conservation and photography have been lifelong passions.
At the age of 20, Liversedge was hired by the Smithsonian to spend three years in Botswana researching mammals. He later worked as one of the country's first game wardens, marking boundaries for new national parks, tracking poachers and finding ways to help wildlife pay its way in the newly independent country. Later, he designed and built Sitatunga, a 25-ton riverboat on which over the next five years, he conducted some of the first safaris and scientific research in the Okavango Delta with his wife June. This period provided unrivaled insight into the complexities of the Delta and its extraordinary diversity of wildlife.
Purchasing his first professional 16-mm camera in the mid-80s, Liversedge initiated a television series on the Kalahari and Okavango Delta, which won a Golden Panda (the most prestigious award of wildlife filmmaking). In 1987, he established his film-production company, Tim Liversedge Productions, to share his deep knowledge of the region and its environment with an international audience. His home and studio is situated in Maun on the southern edge of the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
He has since completed 17 co-productions for National Geographic TV, the Discovery Channel, NHK Japan, PBS USA, BBC and Turner Broadcasting that have garnered many awards. Always at the forefront of innovation, he pioneered the use of 35mm film and High Definition video for TV films to achieve superior quality. Roar: Lions of the Kalahari (2003) is his entry into large-format filmmaking. Again, breaking new ground, he created the first fully, digitally post-produced wildlife giant-screen film. He has begun work on a second 70mm film.
Liversedge has lived and worked in Botswana for 40 years now. He is an honorary game warden, one of the country's most respected naturalists. His achievements in wildlife filmmaking and scientific contributions have been recognized with the awarding of an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy. He has produced bronze sculptures, paintings and sketches of wildlife. He is a fixed-wing and helicopter pilot and has built and experimented with a variety of other crafts to aid his exploration and filming in the region.
Film Achievements
1987 - Okavango: Jewel of the Kalahari Cameraman A Partridge Production for BBC & WNET (3x 1 hour series) Awards: Golden Panda, Best of Festival - Wildscreen Festival, UK (1988)
1989 - Year of the Flamebird Tim Liversedge Production for National Geographic TV & Partridge/HTV Awards: Golden Panda nomination (1990) Best of Festival - International Wildlife Film Festival, USA (1990) Best of Festival - Festival de L'Oiseau, France (1990) Emmy Nomination - Cinematography, USA (1991) Emmy Nomination - Editing, USA (1991) Best Short Film - Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, USA (1991)
1991 - Haunt of the Fishing Owl Tim Liversedge Production for National Geographic TV & Partridge/HTV Awards: Nominated for Golden Panda - Wildscreen Festival, UK (1992) Best of Festival - Festival de L'Oiseau, France (1992) Public Choice Award - Festival des Animaux, France (1992) Best Short Film - Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (1993)
1995 - Okavango: Africa's Wild Oasis Tim Liversedge Production for National Geographic TV & NHK Japan One-hour special originated in 35mm film 1996 - Painted Dogs of the Okavango Tim Liversedge Production for National Geographic TV & Partridge One-hour program originated in 35mm film Okavango Diaries Tim Liversedge Productions and National Geographic TV
1997 - African Garden of Eden Tim Liversedge Production for Turner TV & NHK Japan One-hour film shot on HD tape Awards: Outstanding Cinematography, Wildscreen Festival, Switzerland Botswana: Land of Contrasts Tim Liversedge Production for the Botswana Government 7-part series shot on 35mm film and video
1999 - Botswana Trilogy Tim Liversedge Production for Partridge Films 3-hour series shot on 35mm film and video
2000 - A Herd of Their Own Interlingual Television and Tim Liversedge Productions for Animal Planet, Discovery Channel 1-hour special shot on 35mm film and video
2003 - Roar: Lions of the Kalahari Tim Liversedge Productions and National Geographic Television & Film Large-format film Kalahari: The Flooded Desert & Kalahari: The Great Thirstland Two 1-hour series shot on HD and 35mm Produced by Wild Logic in co-production with NHK Japan and PBS USA