Tara Roberts Zabrieski’s latest documentary film is now free to stream online and on the PBS app. “The Buzz on Native Plants” shows how a few small acts of planting with native plants can make a huge difference in flooding, erosion, drought, and wildlife habitat.
“I started the planning process for this film back in 2022. In the Winter/Spring of 2023 I applied for and received a grant from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund. I partnered with some organizations in Maine to bring this film to life, they helped me find the stories and ensured the accuracy of the content. As far as the production and post production goes I worked alone. I travelled to Maine in my old Dodge van with my Sony NX100 to film Maine’s native plants, the pollinators who rely on them, and to show the beauty and function of planting with native plant species. During the fall and winter I edited the film between other freelance projects I had going on. It seemed to take forever, but there is no better feeling than showing your film to a room full of people for the first time. For me, this was at the Maryland International Film Festival in spring of 2024. Last summer I drove back to Maine to screen it at the Maine Outdoor Film Festival. The greatest compliment I got was from one of the people who I filmed and I was nervous about how they would react to seeing themselves on the big screen. During the Q&A she raised her hand and said “I’ve seen a lot of films on this and similar topics around climate change, and you really nailed it.” Phew! I could finally relax.”
This full film is 52 minutes to fit within the standard broadcast times for PBS stations. I also created short clips from the film to be used in classrooms or other educational settings. I’ve made screening licenses available on my website and I’m working with a curriculum developer to create something for middle and high school classrooms.
I love this work and I hope to continue to find ways to fund and distribute content about nature and science. Watch THE BUZZ ON NATIVE PLANTS Online Here. See more of Tara’s work here.
