In case you didn't know yesterday, May 29th, was the day of the honey bee. A nation wide lobby is pushing to get this day recognized in as many provinces and municipalities as possible, and so far they are doing a pretty good job. As part of the celebrations Metro Cinema, in partnership with Lola Canola Honey, brought the documentary "Queen of the Sun" to Edmonton. Yesterday was the first screening, but there are 4 more. 7pm and 9pm, on May 30th and 31st. I would highly recommend that anyone with any level of interest in honey bees, or the plight of the honey bee go see this movie.
As for my personal thoughts on the movie, it did a very good job of touching base on all the things a person, who knows nothing about bees, should know about honey bees. It interviews a wide range of people from all over the world who are directly, or indirectly, affected by Colony Collapse Disorder. Noting that I am not, or never will be, a film critic I did find some of the cinematography off. There were also a few sections and cuts that seemed to be a bit out of place or off topic, but generally the flow of the movie was OK. The only other criticism I would have, and this may differ depending on who you talk to, was that most of the people they had tended to skew more to the Hippie side of things, for lack of a better word. Yes, I acknowledge that because of how honey bees are so closely intertwined with the very essence of nature there will be more than a few hippies, tree huggers, and environmentalists preaching the virtues of the bees. However, with the exception of one bloke in London most of the urban beekeepers came off on the extreme end of the scale, and even he was a bit eccentric but then again you do have to be a bit eccentric to become a beekeeper.
I was hoping to see more about the average person who falls in love with the bees once they are exposed to a hive for the first time. A teacher, a lawyer, or a child; people who don't necessarily practice yoga and eat only whole grains and vegetables. A powerful message that screams out that bees aren't dangerous and if you just stopped for a minute, allowing your childhood fear to melt away into the peaceful humming of an busy apiary on warm summer's day, you too could fall in love with these insects.
SO GO! See for yourself and find that love! There are 4 more screenings. Check out these links for more info. It is being shown downtown at the Citadel Theaters in Ziedler Hall.
METRO CINEMA
LOLA CANOLA HONEY
I had the exact same reaction! All of the beekeepers seemed so out there! I wanted a school teacher, or someone who looked more conservative.
ReplyDeleteI'm practically a hippie and really left wing, and even I thought the beekeepers pictured were a bit wacked out.
I was also FREEZING in the theatre, and that really decreased my enjoyment of the film.
When they started talking about New York I got really excited and hoped that they would talk with Anna, or any of the core members, from the NYC Beekeepers Association. I contacted them regarding legalization last year, and she was the one to get back to me. We spoke with each other over the phone. She is a lawyer in NY who became a beekeeper and was a core member of the Association. She was directly involved with getting the Health Bill passed there. But Alas, it wasn't her...but some hippy chick in dreadlocks. Sigh.
ReplyDelete