‘Colonies in Conflict,’ Rajani Mani’s Documentary About Threat to Honeybees, Picked Up by ZDF Studios (EXCLUSIVE)

ZDF Studios has secured the global distribution rights (excluding India) for “Colonies in Conflict,” a feature-length documentary that examines the perilous existence of wild bees in a fast-changing Indian landscape. Last year, the film was a finalist at the Jackson Wild Media Awards and won the best independent production award at Rotterdam’s Wildlife Film Festival.

“Colonies in Conflict,” which is directed and written by Rajani Mani (“Miles to Go,” “In God’s Own Country,” “Food? Health? Hope?”), focuses on the threat to honeybees. These prolific pollinators are a keystone species that props up the ecological arc on which the survival of several species, including humans, depend. Human action is causing pollinator declines all over the world spelling disaster to nutritional security and the biodiversity of our ecosystems.

Mani gives a first-person account of how expanding cities are wiping out native bee populations. She discovers that we have very little time to reverse the catastrophe we started, but every species stopped from extinction would help hedge our bets in an uncertain future.

Filmed over two years and featuring experts from the worlds of science, biology and taxonomy, “Colonies in Conflict’s” message is one of hope: We can still save our pollinators by protecting and conserving their habitat, providing licenses and training to beehive removers that operate in cities and, as individuals, by nurturing wild spaces and learning to live in harmony with nature.

Mani said: “This project took root during the pandemic. It was a rare opportunity to slow down and take in your surroundings and that’s when I became fascinated by this amazing species.

“My research, highlighting that the number of beehives in my own community had reduced to less than a quarter within seven years, made me realize that this is a local story with global consequences. We all have an obligation to do whatever we can to protect the environment and I sincerely hope the film makes people aware how fragile our ecosystem is and that everything we do to nature, good or bad, has an impact.”

Nikolas Huelbusch, director of unscripted shows at ZDF Studios, said: “Rajani and her team have produced a powerful, enlightening documentary, one that we are very proud to represent. The story of the unique rockbees, never captured on film before, and their fight for survival is one that audiences everywhere will find engaging and relatable.”

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