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

One dances with 12,000 bees on her body, the other tickles his bees with his moustache. The beekeepers we meet in Queen of the Sun are just as fascinating as the alarming subject of this documentary: bees are dying all over the world. This phenomenon is examined through the spectacles of Rudolf Steiner, the inventor of biodynamic farming. Back in 1923, he predicted that large-scale beekeeping and food production would lead to the extinction of the bee within 80 to 100 years. Director Taggart Siegel visits famous environmental and food activists such as Michael Pollan and Vandana Shiva, scientists and eccentric beekeepers to unravel the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder, the term used to describe the complete disappearance of bee colonies. Just like in his successful documentary The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005), Siegel pleads for sustainability, a renewed balance between man and nature, and of course more respect for the bee, which in his opinion is the barometer for our planet's health. Only now that they are dying out do we realize how much they do for us, whereas the ancient Egyptians, Mayans and Greeks knew precisely how important they are. But apparently there's still time for us to do something. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)