Anthony Geffen

Anthony Geffen

CEO and Creative Director, Atlantic Productions

Fellow by Special Election

Anthony Geffen is one of the world’s leading documentary film makers and producers.  He leads the Atlantic creative team and is a pioneer in VR. He is the first filmmaker to twice win the prestigious BAFTA award for Specialist Factual (2014, 2011) and the only producer to win three Emmys in a single year for a documentary.

His diverse work includes some of television’s most acclaimed productions. The documentary Munich: Mossad’s Revenge, the theatrical feature The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, the landmark series Inside the Commons,The Promised Land about African American migration and Greeks: Crucible of Civilisation. Eleven productions with David Attenborough including David Attenborough Meets President Obama and the Great Barrier Reef series.

He worked at the BBC for 10 years before setting up Atlantic Productions in 1992. The company has now grown to include VR, CGI, 3D and apps.  His many international awards include multiple BAFTA and Emmy awards: Best Films at New York & Chicago film festivals, Time Magazine’s Best Programme of the year, RTS awards, a Special Award for Innovation by the International Broadcasters Convention (IBC), Best 3D awards at the Wildscreen and Jackson Hole film festivals and five Lumiere awards for 3D. Last year the Hollywood studios awarded him the Charles Wheatstone Award for Outstanding Contribution for his work in 3D. His films are regularly seen in over 150 countries.

His television, theatrical and IMAX documentaries and dramas cover a broad range of subjects including: contemporary issues, history, science, natural history, current affairs, arts and music.

His many television films and series include:

Directing and producing a series of multi-award winning popular BBC 1 films: Hirohito Behind The Myth (BBC/PBS); the EMMY-nominated Rise & Fall Of The Ceausescu’s (BBC/PBS ); The Faces Of Arafat (BBC/PBS) and Franco, Behind The Myth (BBC/A&E).

Other contemporary films include: BAFTA nominated Munich: Mossad’s Revenge (C4/Discovery); The War In Lebanon (BBC/CNN); the BAFTA-winning Last African Flying Boat (BBC/ABC), the twelve-part series The Real LAPD; the six-part The Real Miami Vice(Discovery/Channel 5) and the highly acclaimed BBC 2 four-part series Inside the Commons (BBC) .

A series of landmark films on American history include producing: The Promised Land – a six-part multiple EMMY-nominated series about the Great African American Migration (BBC/Discovery); The American Dream – a six-part portrait of America (BBC/Discovery) and the series Prohibition – The 13 Years that Changed America (BBC/A&E).

Historical films include: the EMMY-winning Jerusalem: City of Heaven (Discovery); the EMMY-nominated Nefertiti Resurrected (Discovery/Channel 5); the three-part Greeks Crucible of Civilisation (BBC/PBS); the BAFTA-nominatedWho Killed King Tut? (Discovery/France 5/Channel 5); the award winning multi-part series Secrets of Ancient Rome & Secrets of Egypt (National Geographic); the 25-part series Lost World (History Channel) and the two-part drama series Empires: Holy Warriors – Richard the Lionheart and Saladin (BBC/PBS).

Science-based documentaries include: the recently screened six-part series Time Scanners (NCGI/PBS/ABC); The Science of Jules Verne (BBC/Discovery);  Predator X (History Channel/BBC Worldwide); The Inside Story of Apollo 13 (Channel 5/Discovery) and Apollo 11: The Untold Story (Channel 5/Discovery).

Music documentaries include: the EMMY-nominated Charlotte Church Live (BBC/PBS) and Behind the Scenes at Terry Gilliam’s Cellini (cinema short).

He has collaborated with David Attenborough on 11 projects using new technology including: the triple EMMY-winning series First Life (BBC/Discovery/ABC); the series Rise of Animals: Triumph of the Vertebrates (BBC/ NGCI), the acclaimed special David Attenborough Meets President Obama (BBC), and most recently the double BAFTA nominated Great Barrier Reef (BBC) series.

Anthony’s 3D, films in collaboration with David Attenborough include: the BAFTA-winning Natural History Museum Alive 3D (Sky3D); the BAFTA-winning Flying Monsters 3D (Sky3D); BAFTA-nominated Kingdom of Plants 3D (Sky3D); BAFTA-nominated Micro Monsters 3D (Sky3D); RTS-winning Galapagos 3D (Sky 3D) and the RTS-winning Penguins 3D(Sky 3D) and Conquest of the Skies 3D (Sky 3D) which was nominated in 2015 for a BAFTA award.

His theatrical films include directing and producing The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest (BBC Films/National Geographic Adventures), producing Flying Monsters 3D,Galapagos 3D and Penguins 3D, Wild Flight 3D and Museum Alive 3D – films that all continue to be successful at the box-office for IMAX and Giant Screen and a theatrical short Tinderbox 3D. Anthony’s 3D films have been produced through a 3D joint venture with Sky 3D called Colossus Productions.

Anthony is currently developing several television drama projects with American and British partners.

He also produces theatrical ventures and other projects with Hollywood producer Mike Medavoy (Black Swan, Shutter Island) through Geffen-Medavoy Pictures (GMP).

He has been a leading innovator in digital technology. Working in partnership with leading companies to build content for new digital platforms including award-winning apps (Kingdom of Plants & NHM Alive).

With Alchemy VR, he has been pioneering virtual reality story-telling, launching two VR museum experiences in London and Australia; First Life and the Great Barrier Reef Dive. Alchemy will soon be releasing several new experiences about pyramids and the human body.

He is a regular contributor to leading publications around the world and has been a guest speaker at several international events, including Google Zeitgeist, TedX and the Apple Developers' Conference.