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Archipelago Films

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Archipelago Films, Inc.
IndustryFilm and Television
Founded1991 (1991)
FounderAndrew Young
Susan Todd
ProductsMotion pictures, television documentaries
Websitearchipelagofilms.com

Archipelago Films is a New York based film and television production company.[1][2][3] It was founded in 1991 by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Andrew Young and Susan Todd.[4][3][5] Together, they have produced, directed, and provided cinematography for dozens of documentaries on social and environmental topics. In addition to their documentary work, Young and Todd have a filmography that include 3D Giant Screen/IMAX® films, short narrative films,[6] museum exhibit pieces,[7] and films for nonprofit NGOs and corporations.

In addition to traditional documentary techniques, which include interviews and cinema verité-style shooting, they also use a variety of digital cinematography techniques such as utilizing miniature cameras, probe lenses, aerial mounts, underwater housings, and remote control cameras to visualize the perspectives of their subjects.[8]

History

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The name of the company is associated with its first film, The Spirit of Kuna Yala, made in 1991. The film features the Kuna Indians of Panama's San Blas archipelago as they "unite to protect their rainforest homeland, Kuna Yala, and the tradition it inspires." The film is told entirely in the words of the Kunas.[9]

The company's second film, Children of Fate: Life and Death in a Sicilian Family, was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature.[10][11][12] The film follows up on the same Sicilian family documented in the 1961 film Cortile Cascino, which was directed by Andrew Young's father, Robert Young.[13] In the updated portrait, Angela Capra is still fighting for her family, against "a vicious cycle of poverty, ignorance and crime" in a Palermo slum.[14] Children of Fate won the Grand Jury Prize and the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival.[15]

In 1996, Young and Todd produced, directed, and photographed Cutting Loose, a feature-length documentary about the New Orleans Mardi Gras, for French and German television.[16] Variety described the film as "impressive on a technical level, and engrossing..."[17] It also won the Filmmaker Trophy for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.[18]

Archipelago Films has also collaborated with Edward James Olmos and his company Olmos Productions for several feature documentaries. One of these films, commissioned by the United States Justice Department, It Ain't Love, is a story of teenage dating violence, following members of a young improv company as they re-enact their abusive relationships.[19] Subsequently, they directed the HBO documentary: Americanos: Latino Life in the United States which featured notable Hispanic icons, including Carlos Santana and Tito Puente.[20] Their depiction of the lives of teenage gang members in Eastern Los Angeles, Lives in Hazard, was introduced by president Bill Clinton primetime on NBC.[21][22]

In addition to contributing to various nature series and productions, Archipelago has produced a number of nature films. Archipelago's Madagascar: A World Apart was featured as part of the PBS series Living Edens.[23] Archipelago Films has also had an ongoing collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo, working on the media components of new exhibits, including the film at the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit.[7][24]

Archipelago Films has been filming wildlife in Eastern North America. Their footage of the breeding rituals of the North American wood duck was used in the PBS Nature show An Original DUCKumentary, which won the 2013 Emmy Award for Outstanding Nature Programming, and was nominated for Best Factual Series.[25][26]

In 2018, Archipelago Films made their first 3D Giant Screen project, Backyard Wilderness, produced through Andrew Young and Susan Todd’s 501(c)3 organization Arise Media, SK Films, and Tangled Bank Studios.[27] Young and Todd directed the film together with Young as Director of Photography. The film follows a young girl who “gradually discovers the intricate secrets that nature has hidden so close to her front door,” captured with cameras “mounted inside dens and nests, and moving along the forest floor and pond bottom.”[28] It earned accolades from the Giant Screen Cinema Association, the Beijing International Film Festival, The Jackson Hole Science Media Awards, and International Wildlife Film festival. The release of Backyard Wilderness was also accompanied by an impact campaign consisting of programming at more than 50 libraries and science centers, as well as an app titled “Seek.”[29] Seek “encourages kid-friendly citizen science” and is the work of the iNaturalist group.[30]

Recently, Archipelago Films has continued their work in IMAX cinema, with SK Films distributing Wings Over Water in 2022.[31] Young was director, producer, and director of photography, and Todd was a producer.[32] The film tells the story of the “triumphs and challenges” of three bird families: the Sandhill Crane, the Yellow Warbler and the Mallard Duck.[33] The conservation narrative is heavily focused on prairie wetlands, where 200 species of migratory birds rely on its ecosystem. Called “one of the most epic bird films ever produced” by Forbes, the production was also supported by the National Audubon Society, the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, and Ducks Unlimited.[34] [35] It features narration from actor Micheal Keaton, as well as music from Huey Lewis, who have both expressed passions for conservation.[36] Like Backyard Wilderness (2018), Wings Over Water (2022) also had educational materials released along with the film, and had exhibitions in museums and science centers across the United States, including the American Museum of Natural History and Denver Natural History Museum.[37] From the Giant Screen Cinema Association

Filmography and awards

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Film and Television
Year Film Awards Notes
1990 The Spirit of Kuna Yala (59 min.) Golden Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival
Red Ribbon, American Film and Video Festival
Earthwatch Film Award
Finalist, USA Film Festival
1992 Children of Fate (85 min.) Academy Award Nomination, Best Documentary
Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival
Cinematography Award, Sundance Film Festival
Grand Prix, Cinéma du Réel
Silver Centaur, Saint Petersburg International Film Festival
Golden Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival
Best Documentary, Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival 		Cinemax
1993 Lives in Hazard (57 min.) Directors Guild of America Award Nomination
Golden Apple & Best of Classroom, Nat. Educational Film Festival 		NBC
1996 Cutting Loose (90 min.) Filmmaker Trophy, Sundance Film Festival
Cinematography Award, Sundance Film Festival
Golden Spire, San Francisco Film Festival 		Smithsonian Channel
1997 It Ain't Love (58 min.) Best of Festival, Windy City Documentary Festival
George Stoney Award, Cinema Arts Center
Golden Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival
1998 Madagascar: A World Apart (52 min.) Emmy Award, Best Cinematography
Emmy Award Nomination, Best Directing
Best Cinematography, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 		PBS Living Edens
1999 Saving Africa’s Forests (8 min.) Best Non-Broadcast Film, International Wildlife Film Festival
Finalist, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 		Permanent installation at Bronx Zoo
1999 Americanos (85 min.) Best Cinematography, Sundance Film Festival
Best Documentary, Alma Awards 		HBO
2001 Glacier Bay: Alaska’s wild coast (54 min.) Emmy Award Nomination, Best Science/Nature Film
Emmy Award Nomination, Best Cinematography
Best Nature Program, Aurora Awards 		PBS Living Edens
2003 Tiger Testimonials (6 min.) Video installation at Bronx Zoo
2003 AIDS Warriors (48 min.) PBS
2004 The Last Royals (54 min.) National Geographic
2005 Deadly Messengers (54 min.) Emmy Award, Outstanding Science Programming PBS
2005 Wild Chronicles: Madagascar (20 min.) National Geographic
2008 Small Wonders, Big Threats (12 min.) Special venue feature at Bronx Zoo
2012 Unburden (20 min.) Best Dramatic Film, Action/Cut Short Film Competition
Grand Jury Prize, Gasparilla International Film Festival
Lifetree Award, Lifetree Film Festival 		Short film
2018 Backyard Wilderness (45 min.) Audience Choice, Beijing International Film Festival

Best Creativity Film Beijing International Film Festival Best Film Short Subject, Giant Screen Cinema Association Big Idea Award, Giant Screen Cinema Association Best Film For Lifelong Learning, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Best Cinematography, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Best Visual Effects, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Science Media Award, Jackson Wild Media Awards

Best Children's Film, Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival

Gold Remi Award , WorldFest Houston

2022 Wings Over Water (45 min.) Best Film Short Subject, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Best Film For Lifelong Learning, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Best Visual Effects, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Best Sound Design, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Best Cinematography, Giant Screen Cinema Association

Best Giant Screen Film, Beijing International Film Festival

Best Scientific Communication Film, Beijing International Film Festival

Best Children's Film Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam

References

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  1. ^ "Eighth Grader Featured in Documentary". www.mastersny.org. Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  2. ^ TvTechnology. "Wildlife Production Marks 'Epic' Advances". TV Technology. Archived from the original on 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  3. ^ a b "Archipelago Films". BFI. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  4. ^ "Susan Todd". jacksonholewildlifefilmfest2017.sched.com. Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Pound Ridge resident, Ring, and Bedford resident, Schwartz, join Westchester Land Trust's Board". Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  6. ^ Unburden (2012), retrieved 2017-12-05
  7. ^ a b Chin, Sue. "Bronx Zoo: Congo Gorilla Forest". zoolex.org. World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  8. ^ Weiss, David. "Andrew Young's Beavercam", DuArt NEWS, New York, 18 September 2012. Retrieved on 5 February 2014.
  9. ^ "The spirit of Kuna Yala", worldcat.org. Retrieved on 5 February 2014.
  10. ^ "THE 66TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 1994". oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  11. ^ Giudice, Luisa Del (2009-11-09). Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans. Springer. ISBN 9780230101395.
  12. ^ Martin, David C. Wall and Michael T., ed. (2015-10-20). The Politics and Poetics of Black Film: Nothing But a Man. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253018502.
  13. ^ Maslin, Janet (27 May 1993). "Review/Film: Children of Fate; The Tenacious Hold Of Grinding Poverty On an Italian Family". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  14. ^ Thomas, Kevin. "MOVIE REVIEW: 'Fate': Portrait of a Family Caught in Cycle of Poverty", LA Times, Los Angeles, 23 November 1993. Retrieved on 5 February 2014.
  15. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (February 1993). "The Talk of Sundance; The Winners and Notable Losers at Sundance". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  16. ^ Leydon, Joe. "Review: 'Cutting Loose'", Variety, Los Angeles, 25 January 1996. Retrieved on 5 February 2014.
  17. ^ Leydon, Joe (1996-01-26). "Cutting Loose". Variety. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  18. ^ "Sundance Institute". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  19. ^ Conover, Ted (30 March 1997). "The Film Makers and the Abuser". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  20. ^ Leydon, Joe (13 March 2000). "Americanos: Latino Life in the United States". variety.com/. Variety Media LLC. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  21. ^ Brennan, Patricia "Olmos Examines Rising Gang Peril in 'Hazard'", "Sun Sentinel", 31 March 1994
  22. ^ Schulman, Cathy "Lives in Hazard", "Sundance Institute", Sundance Film Festival 1994, Retrieved on 20 April 2015
  23. ^ "Madagascar - A World Apart: Notes from the Field", PBSRetrieved on 5 February 2014.
  24. ^ "Tigers are here!" (PDF). Wildlife Conservation Society. May 2003. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  25. ^ Frazer, Bryan (28 August 2013). "Jumping Duckling". studiodaily.com. Access Intelligence, LLC. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  26. ^ Hamlin, Stina. "Emmy Win for the DuArt-Posted DUCKumentary!", DuArt NEWS, New York, 7 October 2013. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.
  27. ^ "Backyard Wilderness | Tangled Bank Studios". www.tangledbankstudios.org. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  28. ^ "Backyard Wilderness | About the Film". backyardwildernessfilm.com. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  29. ^ "Backyard Wilderness | Tangled Bank Studios". www.tangledbankstudios.org. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  30. ^ Kart, Jeff. "'Seek' App Lets Kids Enjoy Nature Without Leaving Their Smartphones Behind". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  31. ^ "Wings Over Water". SK Films. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  32. ^ "Wings Over Water - About the Film". wingsoverwaterfilm.com. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  33. ^ "Wings Over Water - About the Film". wingsoverwaterfilm.com. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  34. ^ Dorsey, Chris. "Stunning New IMAX Film Celebrates Magic Of Prairie Wetlands". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  35. ^ Tribune, Tony Jones Special to the Star. "Film will put light on prairie potholes: 'Cradle of bird life'". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  36. ^ "Scott Tady: Grushecky to play Beaver; Huey Lewis brings the news about helping birds". Beaver County Times. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  37. ^ "Wings Over Water - Theaters". wingsoverwaterfilm.com. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
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