Latest Infield Fly Documentary Hosted by Sarika Cullis-Suzuki Airs on CBC’S Nature of Things 7 February
Sarika Cullis-Suzuki discovered a magical kingdom at age six in the tidal pools near her family cottage in British Columbia. Each low tide revealed an astonishing array of creatures right on her doorstep. She immersed herself in their world, fell in love with their bizarre and beautiful realm, and set her sights on a career in marine biology.
Three decades later, Dr. Cullis-Suzuki returns to this very special place to make the new and stunningly filmed documentary Kingdom of the Tide premiering on CBC’s The Nature of Things, Friday, February 7 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NL), and streaming on CBC Gem.
She embarks on a coast-to-coast adventure, from the Pacific to the wild Bay of Fundy, to discover the survival secrets of those that inhabit Canada’s intertidal zones.
“Think waves pounding jagged rocks along a rugged coastline, “ she says. “Yet life there still finds a way to thrive. Indeed you get some phenomenal creatures and exquisite adaptions.” In Kingdom of the Tide she introduces viewers to many of these extraordinary creatures:
Colonies of aggregating anemones waging war on each other; hermit crabs stealing the shell off their neighbour’s back in order to survive; voracious sea stars hunting mussels and consuming them alive; even seaweed that has adapted to resist hurricane force waves.
Canada has some of the richest intertidal zones in the world - not surprising in a country with over 250,000 kilometres of coastline. Some of the most unique are found in The Bay of Fundy, a place with the highest tides in the world. Here, Cullis-Suzuki uncovers millions of mud shrimp, discovers how they support hundreds of thousands of sandpipers, and braves a very wet and thrilling ride on a huge tidal bore.
Kingdom of the Tide’s writer and director is Christine Nielsen. Her last documentary for Infield Fly Productions about Jumbo the elephant won two Canadian Screen Awards for Best Biography and Best Director. Nielsen is an avid diver and shares Cullis-Suzuki’s deep bond with the ocean. “Many of the creatures featured in our documentary are delightfully familiar to me,” Nielsen says. “It was awe-inspiring to get even closer and see them in such extraordinary, minute detail through macro-cinematography. Who knew that limpet teeth resemble a gold-plated chainsaw? Or that a sea star eats by ejecting its entire stomach into its prey? Or that a barnacle has the longest penis-to-body radio of any creature on earth!”
Cullis-Suzuki believes the future of the world’s oceans is closely linked to the health of intertidal zones. “They are incredibly important to ocean health and can be heavily impacted by humans because they are so close to land and are exposed to both land and ocean-based threats. It’s really important we understand these areas and protect them.” She hopes Kingdom of the Tide will help viewers appreciate the great beauty and diversity of life that is ruled by the tides: “I have a whole lot of respect for those who call this Kingdom home.”
