Haagen-Dazs Cross-Pollinates with Vanishing of the Bees Documentary

LOS ANGELES, May. 21 /PRNewswire/ --

LOS ANGELES, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of their Help the Honey Bee campaign, Haagen-Dazs donated $10,000 to the documentary The Vanishing of the Bees. This work-in-progress takes a piercing look at the economic, political and spiritual implications of the world wide disappearance of the honeybee, known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

For the past year, directors Maryam Henein and George Langworthy, who make up Hive Mentality Films, have been zipping across the world interviewing beekeepers, scholars, and CCD working group scientists. During their shoots, they have come into contact with those closest to the heart of the honeybee situation. Their connection to these key players has given them profound insights into why honeybees are dying all over the world.

The Vanishing of the Bees records the lives of commercial beekeepers on the brink of bankruptcy; scientists in conflict about the possible cause; and environmentally conscious beekeepers and farmers aiming to change the agricultural landscape. The film also interviews spiritual teachers who convey the importance of honeybee as a symbol of the divine feminine.

The documentary recently received $150,000 in matching funds from a private trust supporting sustainable agriculture. Meanwhile, concerned citizens have demonstrated their hive mentality by contributing via the film's website - >. Offerings are tax deductible thanks to their fiscal sponsor Empowerment Works, a non-profit sustainable think-tank. And numerous companies such as Really Raw Honey, Big Dipper Wax Works, Vibrant Health and Joe's Jeans have also contributed. With matching funds as an additional incentive for potential sponsors, the filmmakers are actively seeking donations and ways to cross pollinate with other businesses who care about mother earth.

Henein and Langworthy were initially drawn to this project because the honeybee is analogous with many key issues facing our world today. This story holds great political ramifications -- controversy buzzes about the shortcomings of the EPA, USDA and FDA as beekeepers swarm Capital Hill. Meanwhile in Italy, Germany and France, more politically active beekeepers are hitting the streets in protest to pesticides they feel are at the root of the problem.

Solving the honeybees' disappearance has proved to be a "CSI" for agriculture and this documentary covers the full spectrum of this constantly breaking story.

The Vanishing of the Bees unfolds as a dramatic tale of science and mystery, illuminating this extraordinary crisis and its greater meaning about the relationship between humankind and mother earth.

To watch trailer visit, >