Today we celebrate the outsized importance of some very small creatures
DC Environmental Film Festival
May 20 is World Bee Day, a internationally-celebrated holiday to acknowledge the outsized role these small creatures play in the health of our ecosystems.
It should come as no surprise that bees have been prominently-featured in DCEFF programming over the years. To celebrate, we’ve put together some free streaming suggestions! So, put on your beard o’ bees and scroll down to start watching.
Detroit Hives
Directed by Palmer Morse & Rachel Weinberg
Tim Paule and Nicole Lindsey are a young couple who run an urban bee farm in East Detroit to create opportunities for young Detroit natives to overcome adversity.
Detroit ranks fourth in the United States for the most vacant housing lots, with well over 90,000 empty lots to date. In an effort to address this issue, Detroit Hives has been purchasing vacant lots and converting them into buzzing bee farms. This short explores the importance of bringing diversity to beekeeping and rebuilding inner-city communities one hive at a time.
Sym•bee•o•sis
Directed by Neil Losin
Pollination. The ancient partnership between bees and plants is so fundamental to life on land that we often take it for granted. But a team of scientists is discovering that an unexpected third partner makes the bee-plant mutualism possible. Developing bees rely on microbes – bacteria and fungi – to consume nectar and pollen and become a protein-rich food source for the bees. Without the microbes, the bee-plant partnership falls apart.
This discovery presents an urgent question: how are microbe-killing chemicals like fungicides affecting bees? And how can we adapt food systems that depend on these chemicals to protect wild pollinators?
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/r99iCk1boFs?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0
For the Bees
Directed by Chloë Fitzmaurice
Khaled Almaghafi is like the bees he keeps — hardworking, generous, and respectful. After growing up in a family of beekeepers in Yemen, Khaled moved to California, which he’d heard was paradise for bees. He initially struggled to find a job, but eventually connected with a local in the beekeeping industry. He then went on to start two businesses of his own: Khaled’s Alive Bee Removal Service and Bee Healthy Honey Shop.
Between the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which has directly affected his loved ones, and environmental factors continually threatening bee populations, Khaled has endured a range of hardships. But he remains optimistic and persistent, throwing his energy toward teaching community members about beekeeping and supporting his family through his businesses.
**Winner of our 2023 Eric Moe Award for Best Short On Sustainability
Learn More: Read our Interview with filmmaker Chloë Fitzmaurice
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/DVl10xrjdik?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0
Secrets of the Bees Interview: Bertie Gregory & Nadège Laici
Ahead of our World Premiere screening of Secrets of the Bees back in March, DCEFF Advisory Council member Maggie Dewane sat down with Nat Geo Explorer Bertie Gregory and filmmaker Nadège Laici.
With the two-part National Geographic special Secrets of the Bees now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, this insightful conversation makes for great supplemental viewing for those looking to learn more. How did they get such stunning footage? Is Bertie deathly allergic to bee stings or just very allergic? How can you, the viewer, support pollinators? And more!
Source: https://dceff.substack.com/p/world-bee-day-streaming-suggestions?subscribe_prompt=free
