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| Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Adventures: Voyage to Kure: Press Release |
"Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures" Embarks for the Most Remote Islands on the Planet in Premiere Episode "Voyage to Kure," Narrated by Pierce Brosnan
Expedition by New "Oceanauts"and Cousteau Veterans Explore
Pacific's Wild Coral Reefs in Northwestern Hawaiian Island
Archipelago
In 1964, movie posters for Jacques Cousteau’s bold underwater film, World Without Sun, urged filmgoers to come see "Earth's first 'Oceanauts.'"
Now, nearly 40 years later, a new generation of "oceanauts" led by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau, has embarked on an extraordinary documentary filmmaking expedition of adventure and discovery to the most remote islands on the planet in Voyage to Kure, the two-part premiere of the new series Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, narrated by Pierce Brosnan and co-produced by Ocean Futures Society and KQED Public Television.
Voyage to Kure will air nationally in prime-time on PBS for two consecutive Wednesdays in April, on Wednesday April 5 at 8pm and on Wednesday April 12 at 8pm (each episode is 60 minutes).
In Voyage to Kure, Peabody and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau takes his Ocean Futures Society team on a quest to explore the vast, 1,200-mile chain of ecosystems called the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, concluding on the remote island of Kure. The elite 22-member crew, many of whom grew up watching the famed television specials The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, also includes many veterans of Cousteau documentaries by Jean-Michel and his late father.
"This is an exciting and innovative expedition in the Cousteau tradition of showing the interconnectedness of all species on and around these remarkable islands, and the Polynesian culture which has been so important to life in the Pacific," Cousteau said. "It also documents valiant efforts to save these pristine islands from human destruction as the damaging effects of human culture threaten some of the last wild places on Earth."
Throughout the Cousteau team's six-week journey at sea, they discover that though the islands are far beyond human reach, they have been impacted dramatically by global debris that washes upon shores. The debris also damages coral reefs due to the islands' location along the convergence zone of the entire North Pacific Ocean and the North Pacific gyre. This "pollution highway" accounts for many of the hundreds of seabirds that lie dead along the beaches with an endless variety of debris lodged in their decomposing bodies.
On many of islands the team explores, the land and seascapes were littered with the discarded products of human society from thousands of miles away— not just fishing nets but cigarette lighters, golf balls, toothbrushes and children's toys from all over the world.
Cousteau and the OFS crew, aboard the vessel Searcher, used state-of-the-art technology for both filmmaking and diving, to advance the standards of documentary excellence. The latest equipment in high-definition video, lighting, navigation, satellite imagery, and even in "rebreathers," which allow divers to stay underwater for longer periods of time, were used in Voyage to Kure.
The new Cousteau documentary team is largely comprised of, "a generation that was inspired by the Cousteau philosophy to explore the unknown ocean and protect this invaluable resource," says Cousteau. "The Kure diving and film crew involves many young people who became ship captains, divers, underwater photographers, marine biologists, and marine sanctuary managers because of the desire to discover what the Cousteaus instilled in us as children," he adds. "This latest generation is now on a new mission to join me and these pioneering filmmakers and divers."
Voyage to Kure brings together a large team of film professionals who have produced, edited, written, composed and photographed many award-winning films for National Geographic, IMAX, BBC/Discovery Channel, NBC, ABC, NOVA, PBS and many more.
For additional information and background on Voyage to Kure, please see the companion essay by Jean-Michel Cousteau, the Voyage to Kure fact sheet, and the team bios.
Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures is produced by KQED Public Broadcasting and Ocean Futures Society. The exclusive corporate sponsor is The Dow Chemical Company.
About KQED
KQED Public Broadcasting operates KQED Public Television 9, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations during prime-time, and KQED's digital television channels, which include KQED HD, KQED Encore, KQED World, KQED Life and KQED Kids; KQED Public Radio, the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service (88.5 FM in San Francisco and 89.3 FM in Sacramento); KQED.org, one of the most visited station sites in Public Broadcasting; and KQED Education Network, which brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and media professionals through workshops, seminars and resources.
About Ocean Futures Society
Ocean Futures Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. With the motto, "Protect the ocean and you protect yourself," the mission of Ocean Futures Society is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean's vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet. OFS is based in Santa Barbara, CA, USA with offices in Paris and Lucca, Italy. For more information, visit www.oceanfutures.org.
About PBS
PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation's 348 public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people each week. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of educational services for adult learners. Video resources for educators are available at www.shoppbs.com/teachers. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, the leading dot-org Web site on the Internet. PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
About Dow
Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to improve living daily. The Company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and employs 42,000 people worldwide. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
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