Richard Ladkani, a renowned director and cinematographer, has gained international recognition for his numerous award-winning films. His work has been executive produced by the esteemed Leonardo DiCaprio, with whom he has collaborated on several projects.
One of his most notable films is "Sea of Shadows", a National Geographic documentary that won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2019, as well as numerous awards at prestigious festivals worldwide. This powerful documentary exposes the devastating impact of Mexican drug cartels and the Chinese Mafia on the Sea of Cortez, one of the world's most breathtaking ecosystems, with the vaquita, the smallest whale on earth, facing extinction due to their greed and money-making schemes.
Another notable achievement is "The Ivory Game", a Netflix Original documentary that was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2017 and won numerous prestigious prizes, including the Genesis, the Cinema for Peace Award, and the Golden Panda. This investigative thriller-doc sheds light on the illegal ivory trade and the alarming rate of elephant extinction, premiering at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals, and ultimately contributing to the end of the legal ivory trade in China.
In 2015, Richard and his wife Anita founded Malaika Pictures, a production company that produces films highlighting the most pressing environmental and political issues of our time. The name Malaika is derived from the Swahili word for "Angel" and is also the middle name of their first-born daughter.
Currently in development is a feature documentary on the Amazon Rainforest, as well as a narrative feature film based on the bestselling book "City of Thorns", a Romeo & Julia type love story that delves into the lives of refugees in the UN Camp in Dadaab, Kenya, the largest in the world.
Richard's impressive filmography includes "Escape over the Himalayas", "The Devil's Miner", "Jane's Journey" (shortlisted for an Academy Award),"Vatican - The Hidden World", and "Gas Monopoly". He has photographed over 50 documentaries, directing or co-directing 11 of them. Richard resides near Vienna, Austria, with his wife and two daughters.
For more information, please visit www.richardladkani.com or www.malaikapictures.com.
