PRESS ROOM

“HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA” WINS MOST INNOVATIVE DOCUMENTARY BUZZIE AWARD AT WORLD CONGRESS OF SCIENCE & FACTUAL PRODUCERS CONFERENCE, TAKES HOME BEST BIODIVERSITY FILM AWARD AT 2024 INNSBRUCK NATURE FILM FESTIVAL

Film premiered at CPH:DOX in March 2024 and is currently screening on NOVA PBS at pbs.org. 

CHEVY CHASE, Md., December 12, 2024 - HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and Handful of Films are proud to announce that HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA has added to its list of accolades with the coveted Buzzie Award for Most Innovative Documentary and the Buzzie Award for Best Direction from the World Congress of Science & Factual Producers Conference. The film also won for Best Film on the Topic of Biodiversity at the 2024 Innsbruck Nature Film Festival. 

Since its international premiere at CPH:DOX in March 2024, HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA has inspired audiences, screening at top international festivals and major scientific gatherings around the world including:

  • AFO Film Festival where it took home the Audience Choice Award
  • Documentary without Borders Film Festival where it won the Outstanding Excellence Award

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 past, and paves the way for adaptations necessary to navigate our ever-evolving climate challenges in the future.

“Making HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA has been a thrilling privilege," says Sundance Special Jury Award-winner and double Emmy-nominated director, Niobe Thompson (Fast Horse, Carbon - The Unauthorized Biography). “I am privileged to be telling a story about how science changes our world, about how breakthroughs happen, and about how the scientists behind them are, like anyone—colourful, fallible, and unique people.” 

HUNT FOR THE OLDEST DNA is currently streaming on PBS NOVA at pbs.org

To learn more about the film please visit: https://oldestdna.ca/

ABOUT HANDFUL OF FILMS

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 

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 Blue Carbon, Every Little Thing, Wild Hope, Hunt for the Oldest DNA, 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 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.

ABOUT NOVA

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.