A Place For Us

A New Film and Audio Series Telling the Untold Story of Lions in Africa

By Dr. Paul Funston

In 2026, I’ll be setting out across the African continent on a journey I’ve long dreamed of - The African Lion Expedition (TALE). But before that journey begins, I’m honoured to share another, just as personal and powerful.

A Place For Us is a feature documentary film and six-part podcast series currently in production, created in collaboration with filmmaker Bruce Donnelly and Lost Boy Productions. It’s a story of lions, yes, but it’s also a story of place, of memory, and of loss. It’s about what happens when the wild disappears, and what it means to fight for its return.

🎬 A Cinematic Journey Through Lion Country

Filmed across some of Africa’s most dramatic and threatened landscapes—from Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, through the waters of the Okavango, to the poaching hotspot savannas of Kruger—A Place For Us explores whether lions still have space in the world we’re creating.

It’s a journey told through powerful visuals and raw conversation; between myself, those I’ve worked with over decades, and the communities who live alongside these magnificent animals. Together, we ask:

Is there still a Place For Lions in Africa’s future? Or have we already lost too much?

🎧 A Podcast That Goes Beyond the Surface

Alongside the film, we’re producing a six-part immersive audio documentary, capturing intimate field recordings, interviews, and conversations in real-time.

Each episode focuses on a core theme:

• The vanishing lion strongholds

• Coexistence and conflict at the frontlines

• Conservation fatigue and personal toll

• Rewilding and hope

• Traditional knowledge and ecological wisdom

• The future we must choose—now

It’s conservation storytelling for listeners who want more than headlines. For those who want to feel what it’s like to be there, on the ground, walking among lions and uncertainty.

🌍 Why This Story Matters

Lions are more than just charismatic wildlife. They are symbols of wilderness, barometers of ecological health, and deeply woven into the cultural fabric of Africa.

But they’re also disappearing.

And with them, we risk losing not just a species—but an entire way of relating to nature.

A Place For Us is our attempt to change that narrative. To document what remains. To ask hard questions. And to celebrate the quiet, committed people who refuse to give up.

🙌 How You Can Support the Story

This is a not-for-profit production. We are seeking support from individuals and organisations who believe in the power of storytelling to shape minds and move hearts, to tell our story across Africa on The African Lion Expedition (TALE).

💛 Support the project: Make a donation →

📺 Follow the journey: Visit the official site →

🎧 Podcast launches soon on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more

A Place For Us is the beginning of something bigger—a lead-in to TALE, to the full African Lion Expedition, and to a lifetime spent walking alongside lions, listening to what they can teach us.

I can’t wait to share more. Let Lions Roar.