Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?

That’s the title of a documentary now playing in San Francisco [details below]. Here’s the trailer:

We haven’t seen the film yet, but since it’s an important subject we’ve covered before and it’s received excellent reviews, we wanted to get the word out to any San Francisco Bay Area readers. [We add one cautionary note: Rudolf Steiner, who seems to have been the documentary’s inspiration, comes with some ideological baggage we don’t carry.]

The film, produced and directed by Taggart Siegel, has a website here, from which we excerpted this description:

About the film

In 1923, Rudolf Steiner, a scientist, philosopher & social innovator, predicted that in 80 to 100 years honeybees would collapse. His prediction has come true with Colony Collapse Disorder, where bees are disappearing in mass numbers from their hives with no clear single explanation. In an alarming inquiry into the insights behind Steiner’s prediction QUEEN OF THE SUN: What Are the Bees Telling Us? examines the dire global bee crisis through the eyes of biodynamic beekeepers, scientists, farmers, and philosophers. On a pilgrimage around the world, the film unveils 10,000 years of beekeeping, highlighting how our historic and sacred relationship with bees has been lost due to highly mechanized industrial practices. Featuring Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva, Gunther Hauk and beekeepers from around the world, this engaging, alarming and ultimately uplifting film weaves together a dramatic story that uncovers the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature.

The Story

Queen of The Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? is an in-depth investigation to discover the causes and solutions behind Colony Collapse Disorder; a phenomenon where honeybees vanish from their hives, never to return. Queen of The Sun follows the voices and visions of underrepresented beekeepers, philosophers, and scientists around the world, all struggling for the survival of the bees. While other bee films focus exclusively on commercial beekeepers, this film emphasizes the biodynamic and organic communities who have differing opinions from many commercial beekeepers and are overlooked in other films.

The film is now screening in San Francisco twice daily at The Roxie, 3117 16th Street. For times, see here.

H/T to Food Freedom.

Here’s an interview with the director, recorded at the Nashville Film Festival: