1978 | France | Documentary

Koko: A Talking Gorilla

  • English English 80 mins
  • Director | Barbet Schroeder
  • Writer | -
  • Producer | Margaret Menegoz

STATUS: Released

This film is currently not available.   

In 1977, acclaimed director Barbet Schroeder and cinematographer Nestor Almendros entered the universe of the world’s most famous primate to create the captivating documentary Koko: A Talking Gorilla. The film introduces us to Koko soon after she was brought from the San Francisco Zoo to Stanford University by Dr. Penny Patterson for a controversial experiment—she would be taught the basics of human communication through American Sign Language. An entertaining, troubling, and still relevant documentary, Koko: A Talking Gorilla sheds light on the ongoing ethical and philosophical debates over the individual rights of animals and brings us face-to-face with an amazing gorilla caught in the middle.

Communication Empathy Primates Ethics Cognition
Film Organizations
The Criterion Collection
DISTRIBUTION