The Voice of the Bees

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:23:29 -0700

Who would be the voice of the bees, we wondered? For our US version we wanted to find an actress who genuinely cared about honeybees and their message. We didn’t want someone who wanted to narrate our film simply because it was a "green" gig that made them look good.
Alas, in this modern society, a celebrity helps ensure that your product is seen by the mainstream. Raising awareness about the importance of the bees was worth that much to us. There are many out there who have yet to discover that bees are more than stinging insects that produce honey. Three years ago, I was one of those people. Now I realize that they are crucial to our existence as they pollinate one in every three bites of the food we eat. They bring sweetness of life in so many ways.
George and I also wanted a female because well, the bees are a sister society. Naturally, the voice would be womanly.
I prayed to find her, and uttered a mantra that I’ve developed over the years whenever we’ve needed help be it to find our characters or receive much needed funds.
“Please bees, please bees, please bees.”
As I did this, I envisioned a swarm of gentle bees visiting the actress in her dreams or in her garden.
Not long after, we found out that Scarlett Johanson was a bee lover. In fact Samuel Jackson had gifted her a hive for her wedding day. Immediately we called her publicist and soon after sent over a copy of the film. Meanwhile, I tore out pages of her from fashion magazines, posing for Dolce & Gabbana and Mango and affixed them to my peg board.
“Please bees, please bees, please bees,” I muttered.
Scarlett was indeed interested. Oh Joy! But not sufficiently. She was interested enough to take her away from her Broadway debut. She was too busy rehearsing for Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge.
If she truly cared about the bees, she would have made sure the project was hers. In my world, I have no choice, i am at service to their message, I posited to George.  I continued praying. She would be moved to tears. She would be humbled. Who could she possibly bee?  After a local fundraiser, my friend Peter asked for a copy of the film. Unbeknownst to us he was taking it to his friend Leonardo DiCaprio.

On movie set of Inception a few weeks later, Ellen got upset at the clapper who swatted and killed a bee. “You should meet my friend Peter, he was saving bees out of my pool last week,” her co-star Leonardo joked.

Peter and Ellen met and he was moved to give her the film. She cried while seeing our UK version. And soon after we met in a restaurant in Larchmont Village in Los Angeles.

George and I were blown away by Ellen. She was personable and humble and smart. She got it! She got how important the film is and how her 'starpower' could help raise awareness and educate. She knew all about Michael Pollan, who is in our film, and is a fan of permaculture and sustainability. 
The bees and the universe magnetized her to us. How divine!  We are thrilled to have Ellen as our narrator.   Thank you bees. thank you bees and thank you Peter.

New York Previews & Fundraising Event

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:22:18 -0800

We will be having a great night in early February, showing selected scenes in New York at the Ramscale Lofts in Chelsea. Helen Faraday Young, Guillermo Torres, and Elizabeth Nelson reached out to us and have offered tremendous support in putting together this special evening. And what an honor to have the NRDC as a co-sponsor of the event!

Getting to meet people one to one at these gatherings really bolsters our spirits to keep rallying and share our film with as many people as possible. The powerful message the bees have for us needs to be heard.

New Website

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:56:18 -0800

We are just finishing the website here and are busy getting ready for the U.S. and international release of our documentary. After a spectacular reception in England, it has been really inspiring to compile the press kit and get so many inquiries about the film.

So many folks want to know when they can purchase DVD’s and we will be selling them after our theatrical run in March, April and May.

The picture of the girl surfing is kindly provided by the dude at the Apple store during the iWeb demo. Look for a fancy new website in the spring as well - with more ways to connect with beekeepers, gardeners, and like-minded people and organizations around the world.

Bee Blog

The Voice of the Bees

New York Previews & Fundraising Event

New Website