“The Penguin Counters,” which follows an expert team documenting Antarctic penguin populations, gets a free public screening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, as part of Ohio State’s ongoing 2017 Environmental Film Series.
“Penguins are my passion,” Ron Naveen, leader of the team, says in the film’s trailer. “Penguins are indicators of ocean health, and they’re ultimately going to be the sentinels of change.”
‘Engaging look’ at saving penguins
A New York Times review of the film called Naveen “contagiously cheery,” noting “most of his sentences seem to end with an exclamation point or a sense of wonder.” “Even amid brutal conditions,” the review said, “he’s an intrepid and encouraging guide.”
A Film Journal International review said the film gives an “engaging look at the preservation of a creature that, with the single exception of pandas, has probably brought more joy to us than any other living creature.”
Discussion after the screening
Becky Ellsworth, Shores region curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and Melisa Diaz, Antarctic researcher with Ohio State’s Byrd Polar Climate Research Center, will lead a postscreening discussion.
Location, free pizza
The film screens in Room 130 in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry (CBEC) Building on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. There will be free pizza and beverages at 6:45 p.m.
Sponsors
The Environmental Professionals Network, a service of CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Ohio State’s Office of Energy and Environment are the co-sponsors of the series, which runs six consecutive Mondays through Nov. 20. Next is “Sonic Sea” on Nov. 13.