TED Conference to Feature Address by Award-Winning Cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg and Highlights of New Disneynature Documentary, 'Wings of Life'

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- True to his reputation as an innovator and visual storyteller known for incredible time-lapse and slow-motion photography, award-winning documentary director and cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg will discuss and show clips from his new film, Wings of Life, at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 28, the first day of the 2011 TED Conference in Long Beach, California.  The feature documentary, which examines pollination and the real threats to our world's food supply, will be released on March 16 by Disneynature throughout France, followed by distribution in the U.S. and select markets worldwide.

One of the world's premier documentary filmmakers whose moving and still imagery has been seen in such feature films as E.T., American Beauty, Crash, Iron Man and Gulliver's Travels, Schwartzberg was motivated to take action by news of vanishing bees, known as Colony Collapse Disorder. The result is Wings of Life, which reveals the intricate symbiosis between animals, insects and the world's food supply, much of which relies on pollination, and how human encroachment and pesticides threaten to disrupt this delicate balance.  Through time-lapse, slow-motion and macro imagery showcasing the interactions between plants and animals, the film brings this critical issue to light.

The imagery in Wings of Life "may be some of the best nature footage ever.  It's amazing!" said Bruno Guissani, director of TED Global and TED University.

"Wings of Life reveals the amazingly complex interactions between species where nature uses beauty as a tool of survival and seduction," said Schwartzberg. "Without this delicate keystone event between the animal and plant worlds, life as we know it would cease to exist."

Over the past 30 years, Schwartzberg has pioneered and perfected the art of time-lapse, nature and aerial cinematography, in his quest to reveal the stunning beauty of the earth, its natural riches, and the systems that keep the world in perfect equilibrium.

Another project to begin filming this summer by Schwartzberg, Hidden Worlds, will be shot in 3D for IMAX and other large-format venues.  Produced in conjunction with National Geographic, Hidden Worlds will reveal, as only large-format 3D can, the beauty of both micro and macro worlds that otherwise remain hidden, from the giant multi-colored eye of a mosquito to the amazing symmetry and gracefulness of a water drop exploding in slow-motion.

"Louie Schwartzberg creates and captures imagery that has simply never been seen before," said Wings of Life and Hidden Worlds executive producer Jake Eberts.  "His passion for uncovering the hidden beauty in our world with his mastery and pioneering work in nature photography has literally changed our understanding of the world."

About Louie Schwartzberg

For more than thirty years, Clio Award-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg has worked to understand and capture the essence of our planet. His highly sought-after signature cinematography has been seen in such feature films as E.T., American Beauty, The Bourne Ultimatum, Sex in the City, Iron Man, Crash, Koyaanisqatsi, Love and Other Drugs and Gulliver's Travels, among many others.

Credited with pioneering the contemporary stock footage licensing industry (later purchased by Getty Images), Schwartzberg has worked with Disney, Hallmark Channel, Discovery , PBS and a wide variety of other outlets.  His latest project, Moving Art, offers stunning scenes of nature, cityscapes and sports in all its beauty, captured in high-definition, 2D and 3D, then digitally streamed and customized for every form of digital display and platform, from large-screen displays to iPads.

SOURCE Louie Schwartzberg