The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi’s, EAD, feature documentary ‘Zayed’s Antarctic Lights’ has won a Bronze World Medal at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.
The documentary was one of four winners chosen from over 50 countries in the Environment and Ecology Documentary category that have been running since 1957.
The winners were chosen by Grand Jury members that included over 200 directors, producers, journalists, writers, actors, creative directors, art directors, filmmakers, composers and programming executives from all over the world.
Zayed’s Antarctic Lights chronicles the UAE ‘Year of Zayed’ adventure of three EAD Ambassadors to Antarctica – aptly named Team Zayed – to learn about Antarctica’s biodiversity, the global challenge of climate change and the issue of single-use plastics with legendary explorer Sir Robert Swan, who was the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles.
Team Zayed included Winston Cowie, the film’s director and EAD’s marine policy manager; Rashed Al Za’abi, a mammologist at EAD, and Mariam Al Qassimi, a communications specialist at the Agency, all of whom feature in the documentary.
With the 90 other ambassadors from 20 countries, Team Zayed wrote a message to the world with solar lights, expressing the importance to act on climate change and single-use plastics. The message was: "Hi World – from Antarctica. Please listen: climate change and plastics are our challenge. Let’s change. All of us. Individuals and countries. Stop. Think. Act. Energise. Be the Change. #ClimateForce,"