New Doco: What Are the Bees Telling Us?

What Are the Bees Telling Us?

Albert Einstein is thought to have said: “If bees disappear from the earth, then man will only have four years of life left.”

The world’s honeybees are now in crisis – the varroa mite, genetic modification, factory farming of beehives and overuse of pesticides have all contributed to a catastrophic decline in bees everywhere, known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

American filmmaker Taggart Siegel was struck by the urgency of this situation and went on a pilgrimage around the globe to create Queen of the Sun, a film to enlighten, inspire and create change.

After opening to rave reviews in the US, the documentary opens at Rialto and independent cinemas throughout New Zealand on April 21.

Featuring Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva, Gunther Hauk and beekeepers from France to the US to New Zealand, Queen of the Sun weaves a dramatic story that uncovers the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature, weaving a magical story of enlightenment and hope.

At least 40% of our food is reliant upon bees and nowhere is that more apparent than in our own heavily agricultural country.

Queen of the Sun talks to several Kiwi beekeepers and conservationists in remote and beautiful parts of the South Island, taking the viewer deep into the heart of why New Zealand is an integral part of the solution to this crisis.

The creator of award-winning documentary The Real Dirt on Farmer John, Siegel is based in the USA but spends three months of every year at his ecologically built house in the South Island with his wife and their young daughter.

What are the bees telling us? That we must listen to them.

Queen of the Sun:
www.queenofthesun.com

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