Premieres Sunday, November 26th at 8:00pm (8:30pm NL) on CBC’s The Nature of Things
WINNIPEG, NOVEMBER 3, 2017 - Combining spectacular panoramic visuals with high-end CGI, this stunning nature documentary explores the secret life of trees, and how the world’s last great forest has the power to shape not only the lives of the plants and animals that live within it, but our lives and life across the entire globe. New science is revealing that trees are far more dynamic than we ever realized, with a highly sociable nature and a penchant for generosity, allowing them to form vibrant communities. In What Trees Talk About, host David Suzuki and scientists working in boreal regions around the world investigate the many unexpected ways that the trees of the boreal forest communicate with each other, form friendships with neighbouring animals, and team up to face the elements.
Premiering on CBC’s The Nature of Things on Sunday, November 26th at 8:00pm (8:30pm NT), the documentary will also be available to watch online at cbc.ca/NatureofThings on Friday, November 24th starting at 5 PM. What Trees Talk About offers a fresh perspective, debunking the common myth that trees are inactive, solitary beings.
“We have this general idea that trees are independent individuals,” says ecologist Annie Desrochers, “But what we have discovered is that they’re not independent, they will form unions.” Using a ‘science in action’ approach, the film takes viewers on a fascinating journey into the heart of the boreal, revealing the hidden social connections that allow trees to thrive in harsh conditions, from sharing food and water through their roots, to starving out the squirrels that stand in the way of reproduction - even banding together to change the weather.
Director Ryszard Hunka brings us to forests around the world, using CGI animation to uncover the complex systems that allow boreal trees to thrive, in turn playing a key role in sustaining all life on earth. Each of the featured scientists brings an infectious enthusiasm to their study of the northern forest, but also an undercurrent of concern: will this force of nature, which has been integral to the health of our planet for over 10,000 years, still be self-sufficient in the onslaught of climate change? Biologist Jill Johnstone believes it’s in our best interests to find out: “What happens in the boreal doesn’t necessarily stay in the boreal - it’s important to all of us.”
What Trees Talk About is produced by Merit Motion Pictures in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Rogers Documentary Fund, with the financial investment of Manitoba Film & Music, and with the participation of the Government of Manitoba – Manitoba Film and Video Production Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit. It is produced by Sandra Moore and Erna Buffie (Smarty Plants, One Ocean, Recreating Eden) and directed by Ryszard Hunka (My Brain Made Me Do It, Decoding Desire, The Battle of the Bag; Love, Hate and Propaganda).
Merit Motion Pictures is one of Canada’s leading producers of factual entertainment programming. Founded by executive producer and industry veteran Merit Jensen Carr, Merit Motion Pictures is known for producing multi-platform programs that amaze, inform and delight. Recent highlights include the feature documentaries Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees and Beyond the Spectrum: A Family’s Year Confronting Autism, as well as the television special Smarty Plants: Uncovering the Secret World of Plant Behaviour and the multi-award winning CBC co-produced One Ocean series.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective. In 2017, CBC/Radio-Canada will be at the heart of the celebrations and conversations with special 2017-themed multiplatform programming and events across Canada.
