SYMBIOTIC EARTH VIEWER RESPONSES

Jubilation John! Your heroic effort to offer Lynn’s gifts and inspiration to a world of learners establishes her legacy and yours. On behalf of tomorrow’s scientists and the millions of educators who don ‘t know you, please accept our grateful praise. Where ever you are today, go to your window and hear hands clapping!
Brian Rosborough, Founder, Earthwatch

Symbiotic Earth leaves us looking at the world in a new light, understanding it better and yet more than ever aware of its essential mystery. Despite its length the film never flags and we deeply regret when the end comes because it means saying goodbye to Lynn who, setting aside her scientific legacy, exemplifies what Aristotle calls the well-lived life.
Dr. Robert Sternberg, Science Communication Unit, Imperial College London

Symbiotic Earth is a spectacular account of the scientific life and enduring impact of the evolutionary thinker Lynn Margulis. We get an unparalleled primer on Margulis’s path-breaking work on the primacy of symbiosis in cellular and planetary evolution in the wider context of the controversies her ideas stirred up. Along the way, we learn that science itself is no dispassionate enterprise but a lively scene of diverse practices infused with cultural and institutional politics where competing ideas are driven by strong personalities. Set into motion by an intellectual challenge from Margulis herself, filmmaker John Feldman takes the viewer on an exhilarating and eye-opening journey through the contemporary currents of evolutionary thought. Symbiotic Earth is a must-see for anyone who wants a short-cut to the leading edge of the life and Earth sciences.
Bruce Clarke, Paul Whitfield Horn Professor of Literature and Science, Texas Tech University

Bravo again for composing a message as important as Silent Spring.
Lisa Jacobson, artist, MayBeArt.org

THANK YOU for making such an important, thought provoking, and beautifully shot film. (Not to mention the evocative soundtrack) I do hope that it is widely viewed.
Martin Ping, Executive Director, Hawthorne Valley Association

An astonishingly important, deeply transformative, and original film — historic in fact. Its momentous news that all biological life (including ours) succeeds not by competition but by collaboration, offers ways to resolve even our devastating global climate emergency.
Bill Blakemore, Veteran journalist and ABC foreign correspondent, climate change expert

Congratulations again on such an amazing film. I confess that even at 2.5 hours I was on the edge of my seat the entire film, completely engrossed in the story and the (s)heroe’s journey of Lynn and her contributions to science and our understanding of life on Planet Earth. At the end of the film I found myself emotionally moved by the story. It really activated me on a number of fronts.
Joshua Fouts, Executive Director, Bioneers March 22, 2018 following Berkeley Premiere

Symbiotic Earth is definitely a life-changing and even world-changing documentary. It holds such beautiful strength to call upon for reflection, to think and rethink on the current situation and crisis that we are suffering from. It is mind-blowing yet down to earth. Who we are, what we are, how we are, this film is the key for the door to the world.
Miaw Ler Sim, student of Medical Anthropology, St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University

It was riveting. A wonderful achievement. Beautifully shot with many creative touches that are welcomed and never overdone. Using your first person narrative really personalizes it for the audience, esp with cut-ins where you are looking out the windows and beautifully the exterior becomes what you are thinking of, imagining in your narrative.
Dr. Douglas Zook, Professor of Ecology, Boston University

Congratulations again. I have now watched the whole film, and I love it. I thought you managed not only to convey Lynn¹s basic ideas very well but also portrayed her as a working scientist who gets her hands dirty. It was typical of her that she always talked about very concrete biological realities, and that comes across very well in the film.
Dr. Fritjof Capra, author of The Tao of Physics

This splendid film gives us insights into Margulis’ prolific career; and into the woman, whose vitality explodes across the screen with the force of a slow-motion supernova. I was by no means the only person who came away feeling I’d just witnessed a fifth force of nature.”
Margaret Wertheim, science writer, Melbourne, Australia. Read Margaret’s blog posting about the film.

I truly loved this film. I only wish I could see it again! Though it is not short … it is truly engrossing. I learned so much and wanted to go back for more!
Miranda Barry, former Executive VP of Content, Sesame Workshop

I’m the person who commented after the preview that this is the best documentary I have ever seen.
Eleanor Magid, Professor Emerita, Dept. of Art, Queens College CUNY

You MUST SEE this film! It is funny, uplifting, inspiring, intellectually alive, refreshing, challenging and wonderfully informative. In ten essays, each of which explores a piece of this complex puzzle that is Lynn Margulis’ symbiotic theory of how life evolved, you will learn of the ways that the scientific establishment clings to outmoded ideas and resists innovative views such as those of this remarkable scientist, and how – through the strength of her own curiosity and enthusiasm as a teacher – Lynn Margulis ultimately emerged as a widely-acknowledged leader in her multiple fields of inquiry. This is a movie about a hero and role model for us all, limning the vital and irresistible power of open minded questions about what we think we already know. John Feldman offers a brilliant description of an enigma, painstakingly untangled and clearly laid out for us all. There are many multifold delights in this film, packed with surprising revelations. It is both intensely personal and broadly insightful! I cannot recommend it highly enough. Just see it, and you’ll understand. You don’t want to miss this special experience.
Frederic B. Jennings Jr., Ph.D., President Center for Ecological Economic and Ethical Education (CEEEE)

Bravo on your thoughtful and moving documentary about Lynn Margulis and her astonishing, revolutionary scientific thinking and career.This film should be required of many introductory college courses, from the physical and life sciences to the social sciences.
Mark Leckie, Professor of Geology and Earth Systems, UMass, Amherst

Thank you so much for the wonderful film! It was a wonderful experience to watch and “feel” its message. The film celebrates the scientific mind the passion of the individual and the bumpy roads that science sometimes requires us to navigate. Your film is just brilliant! like Lynn!
Julie Brigham-Grette, Professor Glacial Geology and Arctic Paleoenvironments

I was one of the lucky ones, through the good offices of Jim MacAllister, to see Symbiotic Earth at UMass last Saturday. I found it to be very powerful, and I am writing to thank you… John, your film is a pot of gold, amenable to restructuring for different purposes and audiences.
Woody Bliss, Amherst, MA

Wonderful film, informative, engaging, moving and inspiring. Just what a film about a powerful new way of thinking should be. Great Music. I’m proud to have played a small part.
James Shapiro, University of Chicago Department of Biochemistry and Moelcular Biology, author of “Evolution: A View from the 21^st Century”

I was mesmerized by your beautiful and powerful film at the BU screening this past week. The film and the stimulating discussion afterwards represents for me everything that’s good and beautiful about biology. The film not only captures Margulis’ work so vividly and elegantly, it also left room for some fascinating and nuanced disagreements.
Yarden Katz, Departmental Fellow in Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School

Congratulations – what a wonderful film, Lynn’s energy, optimism, good humour, mischief and awe leap off the screen.
Daryl Taylor, organizer of preview screening in Melbourne, Australia

It is totally captivating. … absolutely riveting. Also really good videography — good narrative and superb production values. It’s very special. It really sort of blew me away. And, for sure, it creates a whole new way of thinking about the beginnings of and development of life.
Ross Gelbspan, Pulitizer Prize winning reporter and editor at The Washington Post and The Boston Globe, author of Boiling Point

Symbiotic Earth conveys one of the most important biographies of the last 50 years. It’s no exaggeration to say that Lynn Margulis’ contribution to science is in the same league as Jim Watson, Francis Crick, Stephen Hawking and Barbara McClintock. It profiles a contrarian woman who was a force of nature, without indulging in sentimentality or bitterness about how long it took for her ideas to get accepted. Everyone who is interested in living things, evolution, or the environment must watch this.
Perry Marshall, Author of Evolution 2.0

“Symbiotic Earth is the must see biology film of the century…Should be watched widely, by students and teachers in every high school, college and university. The option of purchase for community viewings is perfect. This film has the potential to inspire generations of thinkers, scientists, global citizens, and leaders.”
David Morimoto, Chair, Natural Science and Mathematics, Lesley University

“If biology is the study of life, Margulis may have been the ultimate biologist…I think Margulis would have approved of Symbiotic Earth. This is a documentary that breathes…Laypeople will learn something new, and scientists, especially biologists, will be inspired to read the original texts and perhaps look at our own training in a new light.”
Katherine Bryant, Science for the People

“Symbiotic Earth offers a fascinating and rewarding educational experience while conveying a key conceptual breakthrough in the life sciences. It will enrich and enliven college and AP high school courses, as well as all of us with an appetite for discovery about life in Earth. This film is of singular importance at this historical moment because it features both a paradigm shift in evolutionary science and the woman scientist whose work made it possible.”
Joanna Macy, deep ecologist, Buddhist scholar, Author, Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World

“A great undertaking! Symbiotic Earth is a vivid portrait of a bold scientist who took us to an understanding of evolution very different than any previous one. This film represents an effervescent intelligence leading the way to a revolution in understanding life on Earth.”
Thomas E. Lovejoy, ‘The Godfather of Biodiversity,’ Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University

“Symbiotic evolution is the primary focus of this documentary, but Feldman also considers its extension to the broader Gaia theory that Margulis formulated with James Lovelock, about how living organisms interact with inorganic elements to maintain a habitable environment on Earth. A fine portrait of a visionary thinker, this is highly recommended.”
Video Librarian

“This is an extraordinary film about a remarkable scientist. Lynn Margulis deserves to be recognized for her many contributions to evolutionary biology, especially in her insightful discussions of symbiosis. We hope this film will be watched by many people – in classrooms across the country and well beyond.”
Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, Co-Directors, Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, Yale University

“Recommended…The ideas of the late biologist Lynn Margulis are groundbreaking, even breathtaking in their boldness…Revolution is a strong word, but that is what many commentators say Dr. Margulis started in multiple areas of biology, from evolution to genetics to microbiology to ecology, taking broader and more comprehensive views of organisms and their interactions.”
Jim Hobbs, Educational Media Reviews Online

“A wonderful film – Symbiotic Earth brings biology to life! This documentary is a concise history of evolutionary biology, a fascinating case study in shifting scientific paradigms, and an informative portrait of the remarkable Lynn Margulis. Clearly presented and accessible, it will appeal to a broad range of viewers, and especially to students and educators in the biological and environmental sciences.”
Curt Meine, Senior Fellow, Center for Humans and Nature, The Aldo Leopold Foundation, Author, Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work

Symbiotic Earth chronicles the brilliant conceptual achievements and exuberant life of Lynn Margulis, the thinker who revolutionized evolutionary biology with her theories of symbiogenesis and Gaia. The documentary footage and first-hand accounts of Margulis’s vibrant personality and ideas alone make this a must-watch film for students of both the life sciences and the history of science.”
Dr. Sophia Roosth, Associate Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University, Author, Synthetic: How Life Got Made