HHMI TANGLED BANK STUDIOS’ “MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES” WINS BIG AT 40TH ANNUAL WILDSCREEN PANDA AWARDS
THE STUDIO’S “ALL THAT BREATHES” WINS TOP DOCUMENTARY PRIZE AT BFI LONDON AHEAD OF FRIDAY’S U.S. RELEASE
MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES picked up four awards at the annual Wildscreen Panda Awards, also known as the “Green Oscars,” on October 13 in Bristol, UK. Filmmaker Martin Dohrn’s captivating documentary about the native bees in his backyard garden won the top award for Behavior, Editing, Producer/Director, and the Golden Panda, which honors the best international wildlife film of the year. MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES was co-produced with Passion Planet, and the WNET Group, in association with Ammonite films, and premiered on Nature/PBS on October 21, 2021.
The Wildscreen Awards are the latest for HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, a mission-driven production company dedicated to creating compelling stories about science and the natural world. Its upcoming film, ALL THAT BREATHES, produced in association with Rise Films and Kiterabbit Films, will be released by Submarine Deluxe and Sideshow in association with HBO Documentary Films. It opens in theaters in New York City on October 21 and in Los Angeles on October 28, before expanding to additional cities nationwide. The film will debut on HBO in 2023. ALL THAT BREATHES, directed by Shaunak Sen, chronicles the work of brothers Nadeem and Saud who have quietly rehabilitated almost 26,000 black kites, a medium-sized bird of prey that circles the New Delhi skies. ALL THAT BREATHES has been hailed as one of the best documentaries of the year and is the first film to win Best Documentary prizes at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. On Sunday, the film took home the Grierson Award, the top documentary prize at the BFI London Film Festival.
“It was a good week for the birds and the bees! We are so proud to share these remarkable stories that shine a light on what individuals can do to make a positive impact on nature,” said Head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios Sean B. Carroll. “These films embody the mission of our studio, to produce cinematic stories that inspire action.”
Locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES follows acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn as he sets out to record all the bee species in his tiny urban garden in Bristol, England. Filming with one-of-a-kind lenses he forged at his kitchen table, he catalogs more than 60 different species, from Britain’s largest bumblebees to scissor bees the size of a mosquito. Over long months, Dohrn observes how differences in behavior set different species apart. He eventually gets so close to the bees he can identify individuals by sight, documenting life at their level as we have never seen it before. For more details about MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES, and to stream it for free on PBS, visit www.mygardenofathousandbees.org.
In one of the world’s most populated cities, two brothers — Nadeem and Saud — devote their lives to the quixotic effort of protecting the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to the ecosystem of New Delhi that has been falling from the sky at alarming rates. Amid environmental toxicity and social unrest, the ‘kite brothers’ spend day and night caring for the creatures in their makeshift avian basement hospital. Director Shaunak Sen (CITIES OF SLEEP) explores the connection between the kites and the Muslim brothers who help them return to the skies, offering a mesmerizing chronicle of inter-species coexistence. More information about ALL THAT BREATHES is available at www.allthatbreathes.com.
About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company that crafts exceptional films where science is a lens for making sense of our world, while inspiring awe and wonder. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the studio, led by biologist and acclaimed author Sean B. Carroll, is uniquely positioned to shine a light on some of the most significant scientific challenges and breakthroughs of our time. Recent films include Emmy Award-winners The Serengeti Rules and The Farthest – Voyager In Space; Emmy-nominated Nature’s Fear Factor and My Garden of a Thousand Bees; Peabody Award winner Inventing Tomorrow; and All That Breathes, the only documentary to win best documentary at the Sundance, Cannes, and London film festivals. To extend the reach and impact of each film, the studio undertakes educational and public outreach efforts in partnership with mission-driven organizations. For more information, please visit WWW.TANGLEDBANKSTUDIOS.ORG.
Press contacts:
Anna Irwin
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
Renée Tsao
PR Collaborative