My Garden of a Thousand Bees / FIlm School Radio interview with Director Martin Dohrn

The natural world is upfront and riveting in acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn’s MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES. Dohrn sets out to record all the bee species in his tiny urban garden in Bristol, England. Filming with one-of-a-kind lenses he forged at his kitchen table, he catalogs more than 60 different species, from Britain’s largest bumblebees to scissor bees the size of a mosquito. Over long months, Dohrn observes how differences in behavior set different species apart. He eventually gets so close to the bees he can identify individuals by sight, documenting life at their level as we have never seen it before. Among the many amazing moments captured in My Garden of a Thousand Bees, are bees laying tiny eggs preparing for the next generation, green-fanged spiders feasting on male flower bees and a female yellow-faced bee attacking a Gasteruption wasp to protect her nest. Other fascinating behavior featured in the film includes two male bees fighting each other over a female, different species of bees competing over territory and one busy bee building a nest with a shell and hundreds of sticks. Intrigued by the intelligence of one particular wood-carving leafcutter bee, Dohrn dubs her “Nicky” and sees life at her level as she leaves a lasting legacy in the garden. Director and narrator Martin Dohrn (Age of Big Cats, Tera Mater) joins us for a conversation on his own fascination with bees, what inspired into this deep dive into their world and the fundamental importance of these inspiring creatures in sustaining human life. For more go to: mygardenofathousandbees.org  Stream MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES for free on PBS, visit  mygardenofathousandbees.org. Winner of Behavior, Editing, Producer and Director at the 2022 Golden Panda Film Festival, which honors the best international wildlife film of the year