Return of the Cheetah Documentary Series Earns Five International Film Awards

The award-winning documentary partnership between CCF, Warner Bros. Discovery, and JETOUR puts cheetah conservation on the global stage.

The Return of the Cheetah documentary series, produced by Warner Bros. Discovery in partnership with JETOUR, has been recognised with five international film awards — including a prestigious Gold Tower from the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards and a Gold Telly Award for Best Short Form Documentary.

The two-part series follows internationally renowned naturalist Hazen Audel as he travels to CCF’s field centres in Namibia and Somaliland to witness the integrated conservation strategies that are changing the future for cheetahs in the wild.

The Awards

The original film, Return of the Cheetah, premiered on Discovery Channel on International Cheetah Day (4 December 2024) and follows Dr. Laurie Marker and the CCF team as they rehabilitate and release a cheetah named Jet back into the Namibian wild. The film has received:

• New York Festivals TV & Film Awards – Gold Tower, Documentary: Nature & Wildlife
• 46th Annual Telly Awards (2025) – Gold, Nature & Wildlife

The sequel, Return of the Cheetah: Horn of Africa, premiered globally on Discovery Channel on 20 December 2025. It turns the lens to the illegal wildlife trade, following Dr. Laurie Marker and the CCF Somaliland team during the rescue and care of confiscated cheetah cubs at CCF’s Cheetah Rescue & Conservation Centre in Somaliland — the largest facility of its kind in the world. The film has received:

• 47th Annual Telly Awards (2026) – Gold, Documentary: Short Form (Under 40 minutes)
• 47th Annual Telly Awards (2026) – Silver, Nature & Wildlife
• 47th Annual Telly Awards (2026) – Silver, Craft: Videography/Cinematography

Why It Matters

With fewer than 7,500 cheetahs remaining in the wild, the species faces mounting pressure from habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and the illegal wildlife trade. These films bring that reality to a global audience and show how science-driven conservation is making a measurable difference.

“When audiences see a cheetah returned back into the wild or watch our team care for confiscated cubs, they understand why this work matters,” said Dr. Laurie Marker, CCF’s Founder and Executive Director. “These awards recognise the real conservation work our teams do every day in Namibia and the Horn of Africa. I’m grateful to our partners at Warner Bros. Discovery, JETOUR, and to Hazen Audel for helping us bring that story to the world.

The partnership between CCF, Warner Bros. Discovery, and JETOUR demonstrates how collaboration between conservation organisations and the private sector can amplify the reach of conservation messaging. JETOUR’s support of the Wilderness Documentary initiative has helped bring the cheetah’s story to millions of viewers across the globe.

Production Credits
Return of the Cheetah (2024) — Executive Producer: Rachel Berkley, Warner Bros. Discovery | Creative Director: Abram Sitzer, Relay Video | Director: Andrew Gregg | Director of Photography: Ben Sherlock | Presented by Hazen Audel | A Warner Bros. Discovery production in partnership with JETOUR
Return of the Cheetah: Horn of Africa (2025) — Executive Producer: Rachel Berkley, Warner Bros. Discovery | Producer: Jennifer Henderson, Beach House Pictures | Director: Charlie Bingham | Director of Photography: Ben Sherlock | Presented by Hazen Audel | A Warner Bros. Discovery production in partnership with JETOUR