2011 is the 50th anniversary of WWF, or the World Wildlife Fund, one of the world's largest independent conservation organisations. The WWF supports a global network of more than 1300 conservation and environmental projects in over a hundred countries. Next Tuesday I'll be in the company of some of these inspiring conservationists for the world premiere of 'Astonish Me', a unique film that has been produced to highlight and celebrate their critical work.
Starring Bill Nighy and Gemma Arterton, and Written by Stephen Poliakoff, 'Astonish Me' takes viewers on a journey to encounter some of the world's lesser known or recently discovered species. From a multitude of colourful birds and massive insects, to colossal squid and fish with transparent heads. It showcases a small, but thrilling, selection of the 15,000 new species that are discovered every year, and it's appropriately set in the Natural History Museum, London, where much of the work of identifying and naming these species take place. This film inspires us by the knowledge that there are still more wonders waiting to be found, but reminds us that we are also losing species and habitat at an alarming rate. Just consider the Amazon, where many species that scientists discover are already on the verge on extinction.
'Astonish Me' will be screened in Odeon cinemas from the 29th July 2011
Astonish Me trailer from WWF-UK on Vimeo.
Astonish Me trailer from WWF-UK on Vimeo.
“It's extraordinary in the 21st Century there are so many animals out there that we're seeing or discovering for the first time.. I was adrenalised when I found out just how much had been discovered over the past 10 years. I hope this film will get people exhilarated by the natural world.”
- Stephen Poliakoff
“'Astonish Me' shows that the natural world is every bit as magical and surprising as the fictional world you might see in a Hollywood film. We know about less than a tenth of the species that we suspect are out there and I really hope this film inspires a new generation of conservationists to be curious about the natural world and to want to protect it.” - Colin Butfield, Head of Campaigns, WWF-UK
0 comments:
Post a Comment