Matriarch dominance: 'Queens' is a four-year journey in capturing nature's diversity

Patience is what Vanessa Berlowitz has practiced for the better part of four years.

Because of the hard work and dedication, Berlowitz and her team created a beautiful series.

National Geographic’s “Queens” is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

“It’s been a four-year project, which is not unusual for a documentary series like this,” says Berlowitz, executive producer. “We had two years of hardcore filming. There were 1,800 days filming in 12 countries. Then there was a year of editing.”

Matriarch dominance: 'Queens' is a four-year journey in capturing nature's diversity

Helmed by a female-led production team from around the world — groundbreaking in the natural history space — and guided by powerful narration from award-winning actress Angela Bassett, “Queens” is bringing the natural world into focus through the female lens for the very first time.

The series features matriarchies and female leaders from around the world to tell stories of sacrifice and resilience but also friendship and love.

Each episode showcases matriarchs, from the peace-loving bonobos of the Congo basin to the ruthless jewel bees of Costa Rica to the powerful elephants of the Savanna.

Through watching their struggles, successes and heartbreaks, viewers see the importance of intergenerational love and protection, the fierce lengths a mother will go through to have her children succeed, how the thirst for power can rip families apart, and how even in the face of tragedy, a mother must selflessly persevere.

Berlowitz says “Queens” leverages cutting-edge technology to reveal surprising insights into how females in the natural world rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength to get ahead.

She says the intimate production captured many staggering moments within the animal kingdom for the first time, including rarely seen hyena infanticide, the first filming of bonobos in the canopy from tree platforms, color documentation of the Ngorongoro Crater through the night, and a development time-lapse of the orchid bee brood.

“The final episode of the series celebrates the women who have gone to the ends of the Earth and dedicated their lives to documenting and protecting animal queens,” she says. “We were so happy to include this in the series. There was so much work that goes into it.”

“Queens” was released on March 4 and the response has been overwhelming, Berlowitz says.

“So many people are responding to it and expressing the sentiments of the series,” she says. “It’s about empowerment and it seems to be resonating with all different communities and artists.”

Berlowitz says a fashion show was held during New York Fashion Week in honor of the series.

“There was also a mural created to celebrate the series,” she says. “That’s what excites me. People will connect with the characters. We wanted viewers to feel like they were in that world.

“We chose a different queendom because each is unique, yet very powerful.”

Berlowitz and her team also had something to prove, as they wanted to work with a mostly female crew.

“There aren’t as many women with experience with National Geographic projects,” she says. “We were able to mentor new female directors and cinematographers. We also worked with male allies who had the experience and wanted to pass along their knowledge to the next generation.”

With “Queens” a success, Berlowitz is already thinking of the next project.

“I’d like to take this idea about tribe and tell the story of our belonging,” she says. “It would reflect our struggles in feeling accepted. I feel like there’s another opportunity to have a great perspective on that.”