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Buffalo 8 Distribution has acquired home entertainment rights to “Ghost Elephants,” the documentary written, directed and narrated by Werner Herzog.
The deal, negotiated at the Toronto Film Festival market, pairs Buffalo
8 with Sobey Road Entertainment for the film’s home entertainment rollout, with release dates and platform details to be unveiled separately.
The agreement was negotiated by Buffalo 8 CEO Matthew Helderman and Sobey Road Co-Managing Partner Terrence Battle.
“Few filmmakers have shaped documentary cinema like Werner Herzog,” said Nikki Stier Justice, head of distribution at Buffalo 8. “We are honored to partner on ‘Ghost Elephants’ and help extend the reach of this extraordinary film through home entertainment.”
The film follows Dr. Steve Boyes, a conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer, on a search spanning more than a decade for an elusive, rarely documented elephant population in the mist-covered highlands of Angola, one some speculate may descend from the largest land mammal on record. Boyes is joined by National Geographic Explorer Kerllen Costa and three KhoiSan master trackers, Xui, Xui Dawid and Kobus, on an expedition that combines scientific inquiry with ancient knowledge.
Herzog described the expedition as more than a search for an elusive animal, calling it “an exploration of dreams, of imagination – weighed against reality.”
“Ghost Elephants” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2025 before its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, followed by selections at AFI Fest and IDFA. The film received a special mention from the FAI Persona Lavoro Ambiente Foundation at Venice and the Programmers Award for Documentary Feature at the Virginia Film Festival. Herzog’s narration also earned a 2026 Emmy nomination for outstanding narrator.
The documentary is produced by Herzog and Ariel Leon Isacovitch. It is a production of National Geographic Documentary Films, Sobey Road Entertainment, Skellig Rock, Inc. and The Roots Production Service.
Sobey Road’s slate also includes “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” produced with ABC News Studios and CBC; “Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It”; and “Pete Townshend: Behind Blue Eyes.”
