“So, I wanted that word — biodiversity — to remind us how little we know about the natural world and of the danger that we destroy it before we even know it’s there.”—E.O. Wilson, from “E.O. Wilson—Of Ants and Men”
Beginning with his unusual childhood in Alabama, E.O. Wilson—Of Ants and Men chronicles the famed biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s lifelong love for the natural world and the groundbreaking research that would establish him as the foremost authority on ants. It is an exciting journey of ideas but also an endearing portrait of a remarkable man; often dubbed “a Darwin for the modern day.”
Wilson’s discovery of ant pheromones in the 1960s led him to start thinking about systems of communication in nature on a grand scale. He was one of the first to start thinking about ecosystems, still a revolutionary concept at the time, and the ways different species fit together inside them. His book, Island Biogeography and the word “biodiversity,” which he coined in the 1980s, have since become the cornerstones of conservation biology. This would have been enough for most scientific careers but there was so much more to come.
Wilson’s work on ant communication led him to his remarkable studies of advanced social behavior throughout the animal world, and when his studies turned to human behavior, the new and controversial discipline of sociobiology was founded, creating an uproar in the scientific community. Hardly had that controversy died down when he was embroiled in yet another fierce debate about the theory of evolution, which has brought him into conflict with biologists who fiercely oppose his theory of “group selection.”
But above and beyond these scientific debates lies Wilson’s abiding passion for the natural world and its conservation. E.O. Wilson—Of Ants and Men culminates with his work in the great National Park of Mozambique, Gorongosa, which brings together the great themes of his life and work: nature and humanity’s place in it.
Awards and Screenings
October 20, 2016: E.O. Wilson—Of Ants and Men won the Green Fire Award at the 14th Annual American Conservation Film Festival
September 27, 2016: E.O. Wilson—Of Ants and Men won the Science Ambassador Award from the Science Media Awards & Summit in the Hub. Sponsored by Nature/WNET.
July 31, 2016: E.O. Wilson: Of Ants and Men was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy: Outstanding Music and Sound Category, and was selected as the official film of the American Conservation Film Festival for 2016.
June 15, 2016: E.O. Wilson—Of Ants and Men Won the 2016 Cinematography Award from the Telluride Mountainfilm festival
September 30, 2015: E.O. Wilson — Of Ants and Men was shown nationwide on PBS.
This inspiring biopic celebrates E.O. Wilson’s impact and lifelong commitment to the conservation of the natural world. If you didn’t get a chance to watch the premiere on PBS, the entire film is online here: http://www.pbs.org/program/eo-wilson/
Credits
Executive Producer: Graham Townsley
Director: Shelley Schulze
Editor: Amy Young
Photo: Lentsoe Mamatela
Read More:
“Beyond Wild Films.” By Shannon Sollitt. Jackson Hole News & Guide. September 23, 2015.
