The world will be a different place once you've seen it through his eyes.
From the team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim's extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way, the film is an unflinching and unsentimental biography of an animal we tried to make human. What we learn about his true nature - and indeed our own - is comic, revealing and profoundly unsettling.
Project Nim (2011) is a documentary film directed by James Marsh, released on July 8, 2011 with a runtime of 1h 33m. It stars Bob Angelini, Bern Cohen, Reagan Leonard and Nim Chimpsky. Viewers rate it 6.9 out of 10 across 146 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Project Nim before you stream it.
Bob Angelini
as Lab Tech
Bern Cohen
as Dr. William Lemmon
Reagan Leonard
as Stephanie LaFarge
Nim Chimpsky
as Self (archive footage)
Stephanie LaFarge
as Self
Herbert Terrace
as Self
Wer LaFarge
as Self (archive footage)
Jenny Lee
as Self
Laura-Ann Petitto
as Self
Bill Tynan
as Self
Joyce Butler
as Self
Renne Falitz
as Self
Directed by James Marsh, written by Elizabeth Hess, produced by Simon Chinn, Prudence Arndt and Nancy Abraham.
Average viewer score of 6.9/10 from 146 ratings.
Now I know that hindsight is a marvellous thing, but quite how anyone could ever have thought that playing God with another animate creature like this would ever be justifiable is beyond me. The scientists here may have been well meaning enough, but I don’t see how the writing on the wall could ever have been different for the chimp whom they called “Nim Chimpsky”. Wrested from his mother at birth, he is “adopted”…
Reviewed on June 5, 2025
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Project Nim (2011) is currently available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies and YouTube. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Project Nim (2011) includes Bob Angelini, Bern Cohen, Reagan Leonard, Nim Chimpsky and Stephanie LaFarge. The film was directed by James Marsh. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Project Nim was released on July 8, 2011 and runs for 1h 33m.
Project Nim (2011) holds an average rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 146 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy documentary films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Project Nim trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
