Peter Lamberti	...	(Director)
Billi-Jean Parker, Gary Parker	...	(Writer)
Peter Lamberti	...	Cinematographer
Riaan Venter	...	Cinematographer
Nathan Pilcher	...	Camera Operator
Willem van Heerden	...	Camera Operator
Herbert Brauer	...	Camera Operator
Benjamin Willem	...	Composer
Susan Scott	...	Editor
Lagoon Pride	...
Mfumu	...	Pride Male
Chiphadzuwa	...	Lioness
Katsuri	...	Female Cub
Chimondo	...	Male Cub

Comments: Whoever did the sound design for this should banned from the profession. There are many sections where you can barely hear, let alone understand, the narrator. Sometimes because she mumbles but mostly because the horrible, canned music is mixed way too loud. Other than that, this is a swell documentary

Crocodiles make only a few short appearances. It’s just the fact that there are a lot of them in the river that separates two prides, and (we’re told) they’ve killed all the cubs of the Lagoon Pride for the past five years

Gotta point out this doc engages, a lot, in that “fake” storytelling method of showing two discreet events and pretending they are actually part of one event. For example:
- a shot of two cubs getting a drink at river’s edge
- a shot of a crocodile swimming
- a shot of the cubs jumping away from the water
- a shot of a crocodile lunging ashore
- a shot of a lioness intrigued by the sound of something (danger!)
- a shot of a lioness swimming
- a shot of a lioness emerging through the weeds
- a shot of a crocodile “running away” (mom saves the cubs!)

Never see the croc and lion or cubs in the same shot

LOTS of big cat docs do this. I don’t mind it much. I'd rather have fake storytelling method than some NatGeo CGI ‘facts’ about how lions breathe or jump or something. It’s storytelling and story matters

Vanessa Boshoff’s narration is sweet. She’s not a pro so her technique wobbles but it sounds like she’s really enjoying telling the story with love. It’s contagious

It’s cool they spent a few years filming this. The Luangwa River Valley is one of the best areas for filming lions. The varied landscape of rivers and sandbanks and trees and bush is much better than the Serengeti’s endless miles of nothing but tall grass. All of the filming is done in the dry season because the place is completely unnavigable in the rainy season

The changes to Luangwa Valley from dry to wet season are enormous. This doc shows some time-lapse photography demonstrating them. In <a href="https://i.postimg.cc/MGxq0MMz/Before-2.jpg">the dry season</a> there’s a sandbank area hundreds of meters across, with some pools, maybe a trickling stream here or there, with 5–8 meter high walls on both sides. In <a href="https://i.postimg.cc/zfJYbs6B/After-2.jpg">the wet season</a> that area is a 5–8 meter deep river hundreds of meters wide. And beyond the boundaries of the river the whole place is flooded. It’s insane. It’s also why the Luangwa Valley hasn’t been “developed”. It’s truly wild country

A couple more before and after photos from different areas:
<a href="https://i.postimg.cc/pLLgPfFh/Before-1.jpg">Dry</a> – <a href="https://i.postimg.cc/Hn3BNN3S/After-1.jpg">Wet</a>
<a href="https://i.postimg.cc/MHXQWrq3/Before-3.jpg">Dry</a> – <a href="https://i.postimg.cc/hvHfKDCh/After-3.jpg">Wet</a>

I've watched a few hundred Big Cat Docs and have never seen a crocodile get a lion. I was hoping this would change that. I've heard several filmmakers talk about having "seen" it happen, but apparently no one has filmed it




Summary: In a merciless corner of Africa, battles rage for survival and supremacy. A lion pride struggles with territory and parenthood in the heart of the Luangwa Valley. Their future depends on the success of the lionesses. Will they raise cubs this year? Mfumu, which means ‘chief’, is the dominant male of the Lagoon pride. An inexperienced guardian, it’s unusual for a male this young to lead a pride of six females. This has not gone unnoticed by the rival male on the opposite bank. Only the full river keeps them apart, for now.

The Lagoon pride lives on a riverbank with the highest concentration of crocodiles in the world. This is the reason Mfumu and his females have been unsuccessful at rearing cubs for the last three years. Crocodile attacks have consistently claimed their young. If they don’t get it right this year, the pride may die out. At the height of the flood Mfumu’s mate, Chipazuwa - ‘the beautiful one’ - gives birth to two cubs, Chimondo, a boy and Katswiri, a girl. She hides them away, protecting them at all costs. Chipazuwa has her work cut out for her. At this stage they are easy targets for her reptilian enemies. Will these cubs survive the rainy season?

Mfumu patrols his territory every day, guarding it well. The rains have come and the Luangwa River rages with full force. For now, the Lagoon pride is safe. Across the river to the east, the rival pride rules. The biggest threat to Mfumu’s legacy, this pride is ruled by a male in his prime. He watches and waits - envious of Mfumu’s territory. Eventually, the dry season will descend on this valley. When the river is low, larger animals can traverse the divide with ease . . . even the big cats. Will the rival male cross the river and take over Mfumu’s pride?

‘Lions of Crocodile River’ takes you into the heart of the Luangwa Valley - a place where territories are redefined with the rise and fall of the Luangwa River. Each year drought ravages this Eden. Over time, the river recedes and changes course, leaving ox-bow lakes and lagoons behind. Teaming with crocodiles, these remaining pools attract thirsty and fatigued prey desperate to escape the scorching heat. A death trap waits. Mfumu and his pride must join the ranks of those who drink from these pools. For both predator and prey, the Luangwa Valley is a treacherous place.

Can Mfumu stand his ground against a hostile takeover from the rival male across the river? Will his mate, Chipazuwa win the battle of motherhood against her mortal enemy, the crocodile? Will she finally raise cubs to continue their diminishing line? These are the ‘Lions of Crocodile River’.