“HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA” WINS 2025 EMMY FOR OUTSTANDING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DOCUMENTARY
Film premiered at CPH:DOX in March 2024 and is streaming for free on pbs.org.
CHEVY CHASE, Md., July 7, 2025 – HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Handful of Films and NOVA are proud to announce that HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA has won the 2025 Emmy Award for Outstanding Science & Technology Documentary, adding to a growing list of prestigious honors for the film. Since its premier at CPH:DOX in early 2024, the documentary has captured global attention with its groundbreaking science, cinematic storytelling, and inspiring message. HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA is a production by Handful of Films and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios in association with NOVA/GBH.
Directed by Sundance Special Jury Award-winner and three-time Emmy nominee Niobe Thompson, HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA has garnered international acclaim, earning the Buzzie Awards for Most Innovative Documentary and Best Direction at the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, as well as Best Film on the Topic of Biodiversity at the 2024 Innsbruck Nature Film Festival. The film also won audience and excellence awards at international festivals including AFO and Documentary Without Borders.
HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA immerses viewers in the captivating journey of Eske Willerslev, a celebrated and unconventional evolutionary biologist. His quest takes him deep into the frozen landscapes of ancient Earth, where he unravels the genetic mysteries of a vibrant ecosystem that thrived long before the onset of the Ice Age. By meticulously examining frozen sediment, Willerslev harnesses innovative scientific techniques fueled by his fervent passion for discovery. His groundbreaking research sheds light on these long-lost worlds, equips contemporary scientists with the tools to unlock the genetic secrets of our planet’s path, and paves the way for adaptations necessary to navigate our ever-evolving climate challenges.
HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA is currently streaming on PBS NOVA at pbs.org.
For more information on the film, please visit https://oldestdna.ca/
ABOUT HHMI TANGLED BANK STUDIOS
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company that seeks to shine a light on some of the most significant scientific challenges and breakthroughs of our time. Recent films include The Birds, Blue Carbon, Every Little Thing, Wild Hope, Wilding, Blue Whales: Return of the Giants, and Oscar-nominated All That Breathes, the only film to win best documentary at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Other notable films include Emmy Award-winners Hunt for the Oldest DNA, The Serengeti Rules and The Farthest – Voyager In Space; Emmy-nominated My Garden of a Thousand Bees, Battle to Beat Malaria, and Nature’s Fear Factor; and Peabody Award winner Inventing Tomorrow. To extend the reach and impact of each film, the studio undertakes educational and public outreach efforts in partnership with purpose-focused organizations.
For more information, please visit WWW.TANGLEDBANKSTUDIOS.ORG.
Specialist science and nature producer Handful of Films is known for intelligent, ambitious, and impactful documentary storytelling. Winner of 7 Canadian Screen Awards for “Best Science and Nature Program,” “Best Cinematography,” and “Best Original Score” for the recent documentaries The Great Human Odyssey, The Perfect Runner, and Equus — Story of the Horse, the team reached new heights in 2019, with a win at Sundance for Fast Horse and a second Emmy nomination for Transplanting Hope, broadcast on NOVA in the United States. Handful’s last feature documentary, Carbon — The Unauthorized Biography, premiered at CPH:DOX in 2022, before broadcasts around the world. Founded by anthropologist and science host Niobe Thompson, Handful has produced many award-winning documentaries for science-focused strands around the world, including PBS NOVA, CBC The Nature of Things, ZDF Terra X, ARTE and France Televisions.
For more information, please visit WWW.HANDFULOFFILMS.CA.
NOVA is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe. The PBS series is also one of the most widely distributed science programs around the world, and is a multimedia, multiplatform brand reaching more than 55 million Americans every year on TV and online. NOVA’s important and inspiring stories of human ingenuity, exploration, and the quest for knowledge are regularly recognized with the industry’s most prestigious awards. As part of its mission to make the scientific enterprise accessible to all, NOVA is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its work, from the production process to the range of stories we tell and the voices we amplify. In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs. NOVA is a production of GBH; more information can be found at PBS.ORG/NOVA, or by following NOVA on FACEBOOK, X (formerly Twitter), or INSTAGRAM.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Anna Irwin | HHMI Tangled Bank Studios