Award winning Colony Exclusively Released in IFI
Award-winning Colony, the Irish debut feature documentary co-directed by Ross McDonnell and Carter Gunn, is set for an exclusive release in the IFI from Friday 23rd July.
This beautifully photographed film follows several American beekeepers over the course of two years, investigating the unexplainable phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder which has seen a drop in almost a quarter of the number of bees in the United States, threatening the beekeeping industry and because our agriculture depends on pollination, therefore threatening our food supplies.
At the heart of this film is the Seppi family, newcomers to the beekeeping world. As the Seppis face the collapse of their colony and the economy, tensions course through the family. The film manages to combine an urgent environmental issue with a gripping real-life family drama.
Colony premiered at the renowned Toronto Film Festival last year and has since been widely praised on the festival circuit, winning the First Appearance Award at the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival. Produced by Macdara Kelleher and Morgan Bushe for Fastnet Films, it was funded by the IFB/BSÉ.
Here's what some of the critics have been saying about Colony:
The Globe and Mail
"Straight reportage at its purest.... Wonderfully photographed... A brilliant, beautiful film."
New York Times
"a satisfying addition to the blooming, buzzing field of social issue documentary".
Indiewire.com
"Elegantly shot and edited with sublime cinematography of bees"
Variety
"the most aesthetically beautiful documentary of the season, as well as one of the most urgent and intelligent".
Colony will be showing exclusively in the I.F.I in Dublin from Friday 23rd July. Ross McDonnell will be attending the Opening Night screening to partake in a Q&A screening.