Hotspots Movie Premier
Hotspots, the new feature-length film from the Dancing Star Foundation and Conservation International, will premiere at the Lodgepole Visitor Center Theater on June 13 at 7 pm. All park visitors and interested persons are invited to attend.
The film features the rare and unusual cave animals found in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In addition, the movie highlights many of the world’s biological Hotspots, defined as areas where the diversity of plant and animal life is particularly high. Three years in the making, the film includes footage of beautiful Lemurs in Madagascar, rare monkeys in Brazil, brightly colored macaws in Peru, rare birds in New Zealand, and much more.
The Park’s Premier will include Dr. Michael Tobias, the film’s producer, and National Park Cave Specialist Joel Despain who oversaw the filming in the Parks. Dr. Michael Tobias obtained his Ph.D. in the Department of History of Consciousness at the University of California-Santa Cruz. In addition to his academic career, he has traveled to some 60 countries where he has specialized in an interdisciplinary approach to environmental history, scientific, ethical, aesthetic and philosophical frameworks for policy research and strategies, demographic analysis, ecological anthropology, and non-violence activism. Tobias is the author of more than 35 books and has directed, written, and/or produced well over one hundred films for broadcast throughout the world.
In 1996, Tobias received the “Courage of Conscience Award” for his commitment to animals. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Parabola Focus Award for his long-standing body of work aimed at creating a better world. Hotspots reviews the work of conservationists striving to protect and manage these corners of the world that are so rich in plant and animal life. The movie follows the President of Conservation International, Dr. Russell Mittermeier, as he travels the globe while working to protect these critical areas. Mittermeier brings the audience to the front lines with some life-forms and places that have never been filmed before. The film seeks to bring about a revolution of thought, giving people hope by presenting an optimistic perspective of the future humans can create by working as one.
Visitors planning to come to this special screening of Hotspots should plan to arrive at the Lodgepole Visitor Center before 7:00pm. The film lasts 89 minutes and will be followed by an opportunity to meet and ask questions of the film maker, Dr. Michael Tobias, and Cave Specialist Joel Despain.
