THE LITTLE THINGS THAT RUN THE WORLD

Hosted by Cheshire Pollinator Pathway and Hamden Land Conservation Trust

In-person

When

Mar 25, 7:00 PM EDT

Where

Whitney Center

200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, 06517

Price

Free Screening

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About the event

THE LITTLE THINGS THAT RUN THE WORLD introduces viewers to a diverse group of scientists, nature lovers, gardeners, farmers, and general bug enthusiasts in exploring the importance of flying insects amid rapid declines in their numbers.  This most numerous group of animals on the planet by far - three quarters of all species - have also been called the “glue of life” on Earth.  They literally hold ecosystems together.  Insects were the first animals to evolve flight more than 400 million years ago, and they survived all five of the known mass extinctions since then.  But, there is evidence that the pace of decline among insects in parts of the world today is fast approaching the levels of previous catastrophes.  What this means for the rest of life on Earth, including humans, is the focus of THE LITTLE THINGS THAT RUN THE WORLD.  The film documents the mysteries of the declines along side creative and heroic human efforts to change the course of evolutionary history.  What is causing this extinction crisis?  What can be done to reverse the trend?  THE LITTLE THINGS THAT RUN THE WORLD attempts to find answers to those questions and more.

About the film

Over millennia, humanity has mastered agriculture, raised monumental bridges and temples, walked on the Moon, but do we truly run the world? In this captivating documentary, filmmakers Dru Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis refocus their lens on a far more powerful force: insects. By zooming in on the reality of bees, butterflies, beetles, and their kin—tiny, alien-like architects of life—they reveal how these distant cousins on our evolutionary tree sustain ecosystems and, ultimately, our own survival. As they face unprecedented decline, their fate becomes a stark warning: without them, neither we nor the planet can endure. Even still, there is hope!

Genre

Documentary

Released

2025

Director

Doug Hawes-Davis, Dru Carr

Producer

Doug Hawes-Davis

Crew

Damon Ristau, Ken Furrow

Cast

David Jablonski, David Goulson, Claire Kremen, Naim Edwards, Diana Cox-Foster, Art Shapiro, Scott Black, Sydney Cameron, Paul Glaum, Louise Washer, Doug Tallamy, Nigel Raine, Matt Forister, Martin Sorg, Sam Droege, Miranda Zwingelberg, T'ai Roulston, Thomas Hörren, Heinrich Rülfing, Gene Brandi, Marla Spivak, Bill Kenny, Bob Shaw, Art Daniels, Sue Hudnut, Malik Yakini, E.O. Wilson

About the space

Please join us at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments, and to visit with members of Cheshire Pollinator Pathway and Hamden Land Conservation Trust. We look forward to meeting you.