We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.

What inspired this story?
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Producer, Director and Camera Operator Nick Lyon: When we were looking for a location to film Painted Wolf we knew for this sort of film we wanted there to be a change – something the film could build around – so when we discovered Mana Pools and the amazing backstory of Tait (who our guides had known her entire life) it was clear given her age that she was unlikely to survive to the end of filming – this was enough to know we had some essential building blocks for a film. The presence of three related packs within driving range gave us insurance packs if the worst case scenario happened and the pack collapses (indeed a nearby pack all got poisoned by elephant poachers during our filming). We could never have foreseen the complex interpack story that unfolded in front of us, but our filming approach allowed us to cover what turned out to be a Shakespearean drama.

What did you learn from your experience making this film/program?
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NL: I’m not sure if anyone has followed painted wolves so intensively for such a duration before. I can understand why – it is incredibly hard, there are huge distances involved, and it is easy to lose them in thick scrub, but the more time we spent with them the more we were able to predict their next movements. It got to the point by shoot 8, where the pack would wake up and stretch, and we would race off as they were doing their greeting ceremony and set up cameras 5 kms away ready for the morning hunt. It wouldn’t be long before the whole pack would be bounding past us in full pursuit. They could have gone any direction, 360 degrees from where they woke up, but we had become so tuned to their rhythms and those of the park that we had a feel for what they were doing and when and why. The guides taught us about how slight changes in water level have huge impacts on how they move and navigate their landscape. We found that most of their large movements were dictated by the movement of lions within their ranges, and the more we learned about their fear of lions the bigger we knew Tait’s sacrifice was when she reluctantly led her pack into exile in the pridelands. We also learned that the behavior of painted wolves can vary massively from location to location. I would be reading scientific literature which made broad sweeping claims about these animals that just didn’t ring true in Mana Pools. I think it is fair to say that from place to place packs pass down different “cultures” that are appropriate to the diverse habitat types they are found in. The received wisdom is that painted wolves do not hunt baboons, furthermore on balance even predators such as leopards are thought to actively avoid hunting baboons, however we recognized a big shift in behaviour during our filming period. Whilst there had been the odd, sporadic sighting of the packs taking baboons, it was very much the exception, until 6 months into filming where suddenly we noticed lots of baboon body parts being brought back to Blacktip’s den, and the slightly gory sight of cute puppies playing tug of war with baboon arms, or “football” with baboon heads. They started off being small individuals, but as time went on we started to see them hunting baoons on the floodplain (wereas previously they had been hunting them in the thick brush of the backcountry). The baboons they targeted got bigger over time as they refined their hunting techniques. The alarm calls of the baboons also started to change. They started with a warning call for leopards (that was quite furious) and a totally different call for lesser threat predators – they did the same call for the painted wolves as they did for the lions.  After the baboon-hunting began the baboons started using their leopard alarm for the painted wolves. Sometimes this would see whole groups of baboons emptying out of the trees to avoid being ambushed in the branches, only to fall prey to a pack of 30 painted wolves. It would be interesting to know if since then they have developed a unique call for the painted wolves. This baboon alarm call spread down the floodplain over the next year, and then again when animals dispersed from Blacktip’s pack and joined Tammy’s pack we saw the baboon hunting behavior move with them and get passed on to the other pack members. We had so many baboon hunting records on our cameras that it provided close to 80% of the statistical data of a paper I co-authored with zoologist Esther van der Meer on active selection of baboons by painted wolves.

For reference: research paper "Dangerous game: preferential predation on baboons by African wild dogs in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe" linked here.

How do you approach storytelling?

NL: With this film in particular – starting as we did with 3 different packs, and covering in our time 91 different individual painted wolves, we had a big challenge. Because we were committed to telling the truth “warts and all” – we didn’t know who would rise or fall in the period of filming, and there were many surprises along the way, that would have been real curveballs if we had focused our attention on fewer individuals too soon in the process. So we approached the storytelling like an observational documentarian would with a people story, building numerous backstories and getting footage of all the animals so that as we recognised who would be the important players, decision makers, the rising alphas, we could go back through the rushes to tease out these individual’s stories. We then had the challenge of fitting in sequences that involved wonder, spectacle, behavior and insight at the same time as keeping the audience on track with a developing narrative of two distinct, but related and interacting packs. At one point we had a board of 60 possible landmark quality sequences on post its, and had to really work hard to keep the central themes going, stick to the correct chronology and make sure all our named animals were the correct animals – it was quite a challenge.

What impact do you hope this film/program will have?

NL: I felt going into this film that I was dealing with the underdog of the series – the one that was least known and most misunderstood. My hope was that by the end of this film not only would people know what a painted wolf was – but that I may become their new favourite animal – and this has certainly been a lot of the feedback I have received on social media. I have also had the opportunity to speak about the filmmaking process, co-author a scientific paper, and engage the audience with the plight of this species. Working in collaboration with an incredible artist in the UK - Emily Lamb - her paintings of my photos are now pulling in funds for frontline conservation of this species and more.

Were there any surprising or meaningful moments/experiences you want to share?

NL: We had a panic early in the filming process, where Tait suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. We saw her pack so knew they hadn’t just moved to a different area (which can happen), but Tait would never have gone off by herself so after a week we began to fear the worse. We did, however, notice that the pack never rested on the floodplain during the day after their hunt, which outside of puppy time was their normal behavior. They kept running back into the back country away from the river after their morning hunt – typical of their denning behaviour. We realized that they must have Tait holed up somewhere; and they were clearly going back to feed her, regurgitating meat from their hard earned hunt for their beloved leader. Sure enough, after 2 weeks of absence, an older and more worn Tait re-appeared. We’re not sure what happened to her, but it was clear her pack looked after her and nursed her back to health. She was never quite the same after this moment, but even in her weakened state their was never a challenge to her leadership, the pack really loved her, and from then on we frequently saw different members of the pack regurgitating food for her. It is a rare thing to see in the natural world and I found the relationships between pack members very moving.

Any fun facts about the film/program, the subject matter or the production crew that might surprise the audience?

NL: We spent 669 days in the field. To follow the packs we drive 51,000 miles. In a single wet season shoot we had 22 punctures. We did 60 nights of following the packs after dark with thermal cameras. We recorded 313 hours of “selects” – the high quality footage that could have made it into the show. We worked with 9 professional guides and 9 specialist camera operators. The working day was normally 03:30 to 22:30, and the heat of the day was often spent snoozing in a sandy river bed near our packs, obviously being mugged by sweat bees!

Anything else you would like people to know?

NL: There has been some feedback from the scientific community that there are moments in the film that “anthropomorphise” the characters. It is an interesting, but broadly outdated, concept. Anthropomorphism is understood as ascribing human-like characteristics to animals – but is largely based on the cultural construction of an arbitrary human-animal divide. Research and understanding have progressed in such a way that the whole human-animal divide has been blurred and we are very much recognized as human animals. Many of the traits perceived to be peculiar to humans have been found present in animals, ranging from tools use, theory of mind, teaching and language. Those of us who have spent serious amounts of time studying and filming animals in the wild, or even owning pets know that emotions are not a peculiar to the human condition, and we are just one of many animals to experience emotions. With that in mind I would like to say that we worked very carefully on this film to ascribe reactions to these animals that we truly believed them to be having and not, as some have accused us of, made up to create a more compelling story. I think it is important that we don’t hamstring ourselves in the telling of true stories by fear of being accused of anthropomorphism – it is a dangerous construct that I believe bolsters exploitation of the natural world and individual wild animals and domestic animals, and that is our philosophical and ethical duty to represent the truth, and not be swayed by hidden agendas of those who would attempt to discredit us in the process.

This post is written by our friends at Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures. Check them out their site and their original blog post!

“The American Serengeti” - a landscape filled with herds of bellowing bison, sprinting pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep standing atop cliffs, grizzlies and wolves hunting in wildflower filled meadows.  Views like these were commonplace during the time of Lewis and Clark, but largely vanished due to market hunting throughout the 1980’s. 

But not all was lost, and today thanks to over a century of dedicated conservation, the American Serengeti still has a home, Yellowstone.  Today, the wild lands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem host the greatest abundance and diversity of wildlife that has been found here in the last 130 years! 

​From the largest remaining herd of wild bison, to hundreds of bird species, massive elk, deer, and pronghorn migrations, wolves, grizzlies and mountain lions, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are a wildlife viewing hotspot.  Want to make the most of a trip to see wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem? Read on. 

Summer: June-August

As melting snow hydrates the landscape an explosion of plant and animal life emerges across the GYE.  The ecosystems 1000+ plant species form the base of a diverse food web and as wildflowers peak in June and July so do sightings of baby animals.  Elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorn antelope, and moose all calvein late May or early June. This timing serves two major evolutionary advantages. 

The arrival of so many animals literally swamps predators, such as black and grizzly bears, coyotes, golden eagles, and wolves. Within a few weeks, the calves are large enough to flee predators more successfully and overall predation is limited.  Last year on a Teton wildlife tour, we observed a black bear locate a bedded pronghorn fawn and give chase, only to realize he was no match for the speedy fawn, who easily disappeared.
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Perhaps the most important reason to calve in spring is our short summer season and harsh winters, which present an even more formidable challenge than predation, the possibility of starvation.  The small stomachs of young animals limit their ability to consume critical forage before the coming winter, so they must take advantage of the entire summer to grow.  

Angry August: The Bison Rut!
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As summer marches on across the GYE the days grow hot and dry.  Angry August is near. In Yellowstone’s Lamar and Hayden Valleys and the Jackson Hole Valley of Grand Teton National Park, bison, our largest animal found in the GYE congregate for an annual event, the rut or mating season.  Though the bison rut often gets going in Late July, we generally observe peak behavior in August. As testosterone peaks, bull bison rejoin female herds, bellowing, scent marking and kicking up dust in wallows and fighting as they seek to establish a dominance hierarchy.  The rut is fatal for some, providing scavenging opportunities for wolves, grizzlies and other scavengers. 

Dominant bulls “tend” to females who are near estrus (receptive to mating).  Look for a “flehmen response” where bulls tilt their heads and curl their lips upward before freezing in place.  This behavior allows bison and other animals to send scent to a specialized gland which can tell them if a female is receptive to mating.  ​

Fall: September - November

The bison rut is the first of the upcoming mating seasons for ungulates in the GYE.  As bison cool down, we start to observe their speedy neighbors, pronghorn antelope, heating up.  Dominant buck pronghorn have an exhausting job, constantly chasing other males out of their territories while herding groups of females back in.  This behavior may serve as an adaptation keeping the species fleet footed, pronghorn once needed to out run the now extinct North American Cheetah.  All this running can mean male pronghorn lose up to 10% of their body weight right before winter!

Bugling Bulls Beneath the Tetons

For many, including myself, the peak event of the mating season starts with frosty mornings and golden aspen trees.  A lone bugle emits through the still air and a champion emerges, it’s a bull elk. Growing up near Rocky Mountain National Park, my family and I took annual trips to watch these giants battle to control herds of cow elk.  Today my EcoTour Adventures Guests and I watch them in open meadows beneath the awe inspiring Teton Mountain Range.

Photograph elk and other wildlife during our Fall Photography Workshop, we have just a few spots left!

Moose, our largest deer species are also courting during this time, choosing the golden forests of cottonwood trees in river bottoms to meet.  Bull moose, weighing in at around 1000 lbs, begin to concentrate near females, both sexes generally remain solitary during most of the summer.

Bears!

Fall wildlife activity is already packed without the addition of some of the best bear activity of the year!  Both Black and Grizzly Bears become highly active in the fall as high calorie content food sources like berries, whitebark pine cones, and carcasses from the bison rut become available.  During this period, known as hyperphagia or “over eating” the bears consume upwards of 20,000 calories a day! 

Both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks become hotspots for bear viewing during this time.  Don’t forget to “be bear aware” by 1. Keeping a 100 yard distance from bears, 2. Travel in groups and make noise, and 3. Carry Bear Spray and know how to use it!  

Fall Migrations

At any point in the fall the first snow may come, blanketing the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in white.  It’s a signal for our great herds of wildlife to begin epic migrations out of the high country and back towards winter habitat.  Wildlife biologists have mapped 10 major elk migrations out of Yellowstone as well as the longest known pronghorn (100 miles!) and mule deer (250 miles!) migrations in the world, and you can catch them in action right here.

Winter: December - March

As winter storms loom, the roads of Yellowstone and Grand Teton begin to close for the season.  This year (2019) Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway close October 15th, with the remainder of the park’s interior roads closing on November 4th. The Teton Park Road, one of our favorite spots to look for bugling elk in fall, closes on November 1st for the winter. 
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But don’t let the limited road access discourage you, for wildlife enthusiasts, winter is one of the best times to observe wildlife in the GYE.  Here’s why.

Concentrated Wildlife 
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In winter, wildlife come to us in Jackson Hole.  The 11,000 strong Jackson Hole herd, formerly dispersed across the National Forest and National Parks now concentrates in the valley, thousands of them wintering on the National Elk Refuge just outside of the town of Jackson.  They’re joined by bighorn sheep and mule deer taking refuge from deep snow in the high country. 

At no other time of year are wildlife as concentrated as in winter, including predators like wolves and the occasional mountain lion.  Scavengers, including coyotes, golden and bald eagles are also more visible, I’ve observed more than 30 eagles from one viewpoint on the Refuge before.

Flat Creek, a spring fed creek which winds across the Refuge remains free from ice for much of the winter, attracting numerous species of ducks and hundreds of the once critically endangered Trumpeter Swan.  Migratory rough-legged hawks are often seen perching along the Refuge, they’ve traveled over 2000 miles from above the arctic circle to get here!
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To the north, in Grand Teton National Park, the snowy fields of Antelope Flats attract moose who concentrate in numbers not seen during other times of year.  They are here to feed on antelope bitterbrush, a shrub with more easily digestible stems which helps get them through the winter.

​Nordic Skiing and Snowshoeing

Winter is also a peaceful time to explore the silent winter wonderland of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks on cross country skis or snowshoes.  Winter is an ideal time to study the track and sign of winter wildlife, each snowstorm brings a blank canvas on which they write. The diverse and abundant wildlife found here means tracking a porcupine one minute, then finding mountain lion tracks, then a pile of fur and quills where the two met. Stories like these which unfold in the snow are one of our favorite parts of winter. 

Wolf Watching

There is no better time to search for wolves than winter, and though Grand Teton can be a good option, the Northern Range of Yellowstone reigns supreme as a top location for wolf watching in the lower 48 states.  Over 150,000 people visit Yellowstone annually with the specific intention of wolf viewing, generating over $35 million in economic activity for surrounding communities. 
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Wolves, like many other wildlife species were systematically eradicated from most of their historic range in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Their return in 1995 is one of the greatest conservation success stories of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Though wolves can be viewed any time of year I recommend the wolf mating season in late January/February.

Winter Wolves and Wildlife of Yellowstone Multi Day Dates are up!

Sparse Crowds in Yellowstone’s Winter Wonderland

To enter Yellowstone’s snowy interior in winter, one must join a guided snowmobile or snow-coach trip.  Visitors to this winter wonderland can enjoy the usually crowded thermal features with a select few, some of whom may be a bit more hairy and hooved.  The interior bison herd migrates to thermal areas in winter to take advantage of shallow snow.

Spring: April-May

Even the toughest bison longs for coming spring, and so do I after 5 months of winter!  Spring comes on slow in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem but the tiny green shoots which follow melting snow are a promise of the bounty of summer to come.  Wintering elk and deer herds are now reaching the end of their fat reserves and set out to retrace the great migrations of fall in reverse. Experienced matriarchs lead their herds in surfing the green wave of spring towards the promise of summer.

Migrations on the Wing cross Continents, and Hemispheres!

As our big game herds begin their march towards summer so do the winged migrations across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  With close to 300 documented species of birds, Yellowstone and Grand Teton are a birders paradise, especially in spring. Starting as early as March, look for the flash of brightly colored mountain bluebirds on the National Elk Refuge, or near Gardiner at Yellowstone’s north entrance.  6 species of swallows will soon follow, some competing for the same nesting habitat.

Broad tailed and calliope hummingbirds return here from Central America to feed on the nectar of blooming wildflowers.  Visit grasslands to look for one of our longest avian migrants, the Swainson’s Hawk. Over the course of three months each spring and fall Swainson’s travel over 7000 miles, all the way to the Argentinean Pampas or grassland. 

One of my favorite spring sightings generally occurs in early May at LeHardy Rapids on the Yellowstone River.  Harlequin ducks, a species of torrent duck arrive here from the Pacific Northwest coast to feed and mate. Perfectly adapted to life in rough water, harlequins have extra strong bones.  After a summer raising chicks in Yellowstone’s rugged interior the females will stop once again at the LeHardy Rapids before making the cross country journey back to the coast.  

Baby Bison!

As our year of wildlife in Yellowstone completes its circle we return to the first baby mammals or spring, bison calves.  Calves can be born in early April, up to two months before their elk or deer counterparts. I usually observe the first bison calves in Yellowstone’s Northern Range, with the Teton bison herd calving several weeks later.  

Please let us know if we can help with guiding your next adventure in Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Parks by calling us 307-690-9533 or emailing info@jhecotouradventures.com.

Now in our 11th year of operation, Jackson Hole Ecotour Adventures leads wildlife safaris, cross country skiing tours, and snowshoe tours in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks 365 days a year.  Let us help maximize your Jackson Hole Experience Today!

Along with ocean-focused organizations are brands like Patagonia blazing ahead with the priority of a clean future. ​

Written by Alicia Bynum.

 “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
- Jane Goodall

A scientist, conservationist, peacemaker, and mentor, Jane Goodall is an astounding nominee for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. With over 50 years of work and dedication, Goodall has proven a legacy for the protection of wildlife and conservation of the environment to ensure a better future for all inhabitants of the world. At 85 years old, Jane continues her studies by touring place to place and spreading the message of hope as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Achievements Throughout the Years

1960 - Jane observes groups of chimps and learns that they eat meat, hunt, and make and use tools.

1963 - National Geographic publishes a cover story about Jane and her research on chimpanzees.

1965 - National Geographic films “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees” and airs their film internationally.

1977 - The Jane Goodall Institute is founded for the continuation of chimpanzee research, conservation efforts, and environmental education and mentorship.

“I went in as a scientist and came out an advocate.”
​- Jane Goodall

1986 - Dr. Jane Goodall becomes an activist and switches her focus to a broad animal-human conservation approach, rather than the mere study through observation and research.

1991 - Roots & Shoots is founded to encourage youth around the world to pursue their passions and become leaders in promoting a better future for people, animals, and the environment.

1991 - The Jane Goodall Institute establishes the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center to provide and care to now more than 150 orphaned chimpanzees.

1994 - Jane starts community-conservation work in Tanzania.

2004 - Jane is named a UN Messenger of Peace.

2005 - The Jane Goodall Institute establishes a formal conservation action plan focused around Gombe Stream National Park.

2005 - Jane is awarded the Jackson Wild Legacy Award.

“When you live in the forest, it’s easy to see that everything’s connected.”
- Jane Goodall

2010 - The 50th Anniversary of Jane’s research in Gombe, making it the longest continuous study of chimpanzees in the world.

2016 - The 25th Anniversary of Roots & Shoots, reaching nearly 100 countries and a network of youth following Jane’s conservation ethics and examples.

2017 - The 40th Anniversary of The Jane Goodall Institute and its expansion into a global mission.

2019 - Jane celebrates her 85th birthday and continues to spread the message of hope through lectures on protecting chimpanzees from extinction, species conservation, and the urgency of global environmental crises.

Jane Goodall has promoted a sense of peace for the world and its entirety. She did not stop at the study of chimpanzees. She grew a legacy with The Jane Goodall Institute which has inspired the world to continue to grow her mission of peace between people, wildlife, and the environment.

Goodall has spent a lifetime of dedication to what began as her passionate research on chimpanzees. Through Goodall’s research and inspiration to our world’s youth, we have learned much of how each individual can contribute and make a difference for the sake of all wildlife, human beings, and our precious planet.

“If we all give up hope and do nothing, well then indeed there is no hope. It will be helped by all of us, every one of us taking action of some sort.”
- Jane Goodall

One of the greatest honors you can receive at the Jackson Wild Media Awards is our Grand Teton Award, which goes to the best film in the entire competition. Over the years, the Grand Teton Award has gone to some absolutely amazing films. Let's take a trip down memory lane and take a look at our past winners over the years:

We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.

What inspired this story?

Director and Cameraman Rick Rosenthal: After filming whales for many years, I felt it was time to tell a different story- one that would focus on whale intelligence, and ask the question- how smart are whales?

Were there any surprising or meaningful experiences you want to share?

RR: Yes. We did not expect to film (1) Humpback whales outsmarting humans to get what they want, (2) Gray whales surfing, (3) Sperm whales playing ball and (4) Killer whales catching the dangerous Whiptail sting ray.

What impact do you hope this film will have?

RR: I hope that we will finally accept the fact that there are highly intelligent species in the ocean that are capable of figuring out complex problems, with feelings not unlike our own. There is much more to whale behavior than just instinct. Learning and passing on knowledge is a key component of whale behavior and it’s one of our definitions of culture.

Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film.

RR: One of the main challenges were uncertainties with weather, especially in working out in the open ocean. There were also difficulties in getting reliable information about the location of the whales, and challenges with having the budget to spend enough time in the field to capture the behavior.

​What drove you as a filmmaker to focus on our oceans and marine life?

RR: I have spent more than 50 years doing research and filming marine life, so it was a natural to tackle this subject.

We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.

What inspired this story?

​Producer Catherine Brookes: Conservation at the community level allows people and wildlife to thrive alongside one another and is vital in the protection of our planet. I wanted to tell a story that perfectly exemplified the positive impacts that such initiatives can create. When I first learnt about the work of this amazing all-female sea turtle conservation team, I knew their story had to be shared. The results of their efforts have not come easy and their journey to running a successful sea turtle hatchery is compelling, inspirational and a story that I hoped would resonate with a wide audience.

What impact do you hope this film will have?

CB: As awareness rises about the devastating impacts that ocean plastics and climate change are having on our marine species, a lesser-known threat is often overlooked. This film aims to shed light on the vast-scale issue that is the poaching of sea turtle eggs, as well as giving recognition to an incredibly dedicated team of conservationists. This community has found a successful formula that is benefitting both their people and their wildlife. I hope this film can inspire more charities and NGOs to replicate this model worldwide. I also hope to encourage and empower more women to break stereotypes and pursue their passions. This film has given Barra de Santiago's women a chance to speak out about their experiences and shed light on the importance of women in science and conservation.

What drove you as a filmmaker to focus on our oceans and marine life?

​CB: This is a critical time for preserving our oceans and marine life. The world's oceans and the delicately balanced ecosystems within them are essential to life on earth. The rate at which they are being depleted and polluted is alarming. Raising awareness about the threats facing our marine environment is an important step in its protection, and storytelling through the medium of film is a powerful tool for spreading conservation messages. As a biologist who has long been captivated by the ocean and its wildlife, I was excited to create something that could inspire a deeper interest in marine conservation in others.

We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.

What inspired this story?
​
Director and Producer Carlos Toro: I became inspired by Joe Romeiro's story of going from someone who was very interested in marine wildlife, specifically sharks and to what extent that passion eventually manifested itself in his life.  This is also a story of how our passions tend to weave themselves into our lives.

The Edge is a story of what it looks like to allow your passions to drive you to the cusp of what is being done in a given field.  The narrative is further pushed by the dark, elusive nature of the footage and ultimately communicates a message of our role in this world and how we can co-habitat this space, respectfully. 

Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film?

CT: The main challenge of this film was to focus on a very narrow sliver of a particular style of footage; night time, dark footage and make that interesting enough to tie in our narrative objective into that.  Another, much more practical consideration was having to get the shots completed in a such a short time frame.  ​

How do you approach science storytelling?

CT: Our approach at Steer Films is to reexamine information or subject matter that is taken for granted and apply our lens to it and show its true, remarkable nature. 

What impact do you hope this film will have?

CT: Ideally, the film will cause people to reflect and reconsider what our role is as stewards of this planet.  Specifically, for shark enthusiasts we hope it's a subject matter that we have wrapped in enough interesting footage for it to be appreciated by a wider audience. 

Were there any surprising or meaningful moments/experiences you want to share?

CT: The most meaningful moments appeared in hindsight. How we connected with the protagonist, Joe Romeiro.  The way the shoot came together in a such natural, but powerful way and ultimately how well the piece has been received.

Anything else you would like people to know?

CT: We believe that deep scientific insights need to be translated into a visceral, emotional experience.  We all learn more about ourselves by what's being revealed every day by new discoveries and the work being done in many exciting fields.  Our goal is to work with organizations and people who are deeply passionate about their respective field of study and be able to bring their stories to the masses. 

What next?

CT: Our team at Steer Films has recently successfully completed production on two recent TV programs for Discovery and National Geographic.  We are currently working on a TV project that we were able to spearhead from it's inception and look forward to seeing it debut next year on Discovery channel. 

We're also looking forward to collaborating with researchers, scientists and other passionate actors in the very near future.

We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.

​What inspired this story?

​Field Producer Erika Jarvis: The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is a marine national monument designated in 2016, the only one in the Atlantic Ocean. This area has been known to fishermen, marine biologists, and MA seafarers for decades as a particularly abundant part of the world, due in part to its enormous underwater canyons and tall underwater mountains (which become aggregation points for life in the ocean). However, on April 26, 2017, an Executive Order was signed that threatens to carve up or abolish dozens of National Monuments across the nation, and this area was one of them. As part of a new partnership between OceanX and Bloomberg Philanthropies, we wanted to make sure that people knew not just about the beauty of the corals and marine life in this area, but about its importance for biodiversity and scientific research.

Were there any surprising or meaningful experiences you want to share?

EJ: Meaningful was experiencing what they mean by “biodiversity hotspot” in person. It was not uncommon to see whales and dolphins on a near-daily basis, as well as large predatory fish like tuna. As for the scientists, they got to see things that are incredibly rare and valuable to experience in person, since access to manned submersibles like those aboard OceanX’s Alucia is still relatively uncommon. In this case, they toured mountainous walls of corals, some which are hundreds of years old.

What impact do you hope this film will have?

​EJ: The film was recently screened at a Congressional Briefing in Washington on the importance of national monuments. Dr. Tim Shank, of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was the chief scientist on the mission, and he explained it beautifully on the day: “There are key places in our ocean that allow magnificent leaps in our understanding of the oceans, and it’s important to communicate this to public and policy-makers.” From a general audience perspective, it is good to remind people that coral reefs are not these distant, vacation-destination lifeforms, but that they are growing and thriving within striking distance of the most heavily populated parts of our nation, and that they are part of our shared natural heritage.

Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film.

EJ: We embarked on the mission just as Hurricane Florence began forming in the Atlantic. It was a series of darted trips out to the open ocean for dives, then back behind the safety of the Cape Cod peninsula to wait out the huge swell. Luckily, our captain and crew are extraordinarily safety oriented, so we were never at risk, but it did limit the number of exploratory dives we could make.

We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.

What inspired this story?

Producer, Director and Writer Gisela Kaufmann: We’ve been producing underwater documentaries for over 15 years and had just completed a one-hour special on manta rays, when we saw a passionate Facebook post from a young Australian shark campaigner, Madison Stewart, who was pleading to save sharks in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We were surprised to learn about the legal shark fisheries in the GBR and after meeting Madison in person, we were very impressed by her passion, knowledge and foresight.

There are so many, often sensationalized shark films out there, we never thought we would enter these murky waters. Yet meeting Madison changed all this. Here was a remarkable young person: instantly engaging, free-spirited yet fully focused, and deadly serious about her life’s mission to save her ‘family’, as she calls sharks. With Madison we could tell an entirely different story, a very personal one that would be thought provoking and have an impact on people who might not care about these animals and their cruel fate.

​What impact do you hope this film will have?

GK: After the release of the film Australia’s biggest seller of fresh shark meat, Woolworths, was inundated with emails and Facebook messages and has since stopped its sale. However the company has not (yet) released an official statement confirming they will stop selling fresh shark meat for good.

Through continued campaigning Madison has managed to have at least two smaller Australian supermarket chains withdraw shark meat from sale and confirm they will not bring it back.

For the first time, Australian health authorities have agreed to meet with Madison to discuss the potential danger of shark meat for human consumption.

We hope that our film will continue to help change awareness for the plight of our oceans and the protection we need to grant its apex predators, sharks, which are so tremendously misunderstood and misrepresented.

Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film.

GK: Environmental films often touch on political issues and with that a whole range of challenges arises. Our key challenge throughout the film was getting people to participate who are part of the legal shark trade in Australia - fishermen, middlemen, wholesalers, fish traders/shops, fishery departments, even health departments - all of them declined or ignored our invitation to participate, repeatedly, even though this program was for Australia's public broadcaster. We often had to resort to 'undercover' filming e.g. in fish shops and markets, and in the end were lucky to find one shark fishermen willing talk to us, but only because we tracked him down on location and the personal contact made it possible.

Surprisingly, the majority of scientists who work on shark populations in the GBR also declined our invitation to participate, even though we do have a long-standing and very positive track record with the science community (e.g. previous film PROJECT MANTA received Australia's annual award for Best Science Journalism). Anything 'shark' is a hot topic in Australia, most of the research is funded by the Government (with dwindling funds and lots of job cuts) and it seemed no one wanted to be involved in a film that is in a way against current Government politics (which is pro shark fishing & culling). With a huge amount of effort we managed to get the experts involved, but often they gave us 'political statements' rather than factual ones.

Dealing with a political 'hot topic', and a global supermarket chain for that matter, also meant we had to be super diligent with our fact-checks and stay even more on the conservative side than usual. In fact 2 months after delivery of the program, we had to recall it because one broadcaster felt, due to a new development we needed to change one script line; according to our lawyers the line was still fine but probably not as water-tight as initially, yet it was feared that the involved concern could put an injunction on the film. It's the first time in 25 years that we ever had to recall a delivered film, from 3 continents, but there was no choice. Thankfully everything was revised within a few weeks. It was a strong reminder that one needs to have a very healthy legal budget when venturing out into environmental or conservation films. All up it's the most we've ever spent on legal fees.

What drove you as a filmmaker to focus on our oceans and marine life?

GK: Our oceans are the bases for all live on earth and we’ve always been passionate about this wondrous, fascinating and still little explored yet threatened blue world. We’re very committed to tell our oceans’ stories and plight, hoping to make at least a small difference for their future and protection.