An award-winning documentary film about the global bee crisis is to screen in Bermuda on Sunday, February 16, as part of the Weekend Film Series at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

More than Honey tackles the vexing question of why bees worldwide are dying off. Exquisite macro-photography of the bees in flight and in their hives reveals a fascinating, complex world in crisis.

With the tenacity of a man out to solve a world-class mystery, Oscar-nominated director Markus Imhoof investigates this global phenomenon, from California, to Switzerland, China and Australia. The winner of 11 international awards, the film examines bees and their complicated, inter-dependent relationship with humans.

Experts say that some 1.5 million hives have disappeared in the United States, while in Germany 25 per cent of the country’s colonies have been decimated. The same phenomena has been reported in other countries around the world, with scientists referring to the issue as “colony collapse disorder”.

The potential impact on humans is considerable – some 80 per cent of plant species need bees in order to be pollinated. “My project wasn’t to shoot a global film that would go at top speed from one place to the next, but rather to take the time to get to know and understand the different protagonists, generally bee keepers,” says Mr Imhoof. “We observed their daily work, took their existential anguish quite seriously and suffered with them when yet another bee colony disappeared or had to be destroyed. For their part, they showed us how they face the daily paradox, which consists in working both with nature’s rhythm and against it.”

The film won Best Documentary prizes at the German, Swiss, Austrian and Bavarian film awards, claimed the Best Documentary prize at the Zurich and Santa Barbara film festivals – and won the Audience Award at the UK Green Film Festival, among other prizes.

After the film, beekeeper Jenny Faries will provide an update on Bermuda’s bee population and take audience questions.

More than Honey screens at 5.15 pm on Sunday, February 16, in the Tradewinds Auditorium of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Tickets are available from the Oceans Gift Shop, BUEI, or by calling 294-0204.