BEEKEEPER

Directed by Keith Griffith III (USA)

Mental Health / Eco Entrepreneurship

Keith Griffith III, 15, shares the healing power and ecological importance of beekeeping.

In his film, BEEKEEPER, Keith explains the essential role of pollinators in the environment and in food production. He is on a mission to spread the word about the ecologically critical honeybee. Rising temperatures, habitat loss and pesticides have disrupted bees’ ecosystem, threatening their very existence.

Keith explains what bees have taught him: cooperation, community and emotional well-being, lessons he shares in workshops and talks around his hometown, Louisville, Kentucky. Keith began keeping bees about four years ago, when both of his parents were incarcerated. Beekeeping helped him manage the stress of not having his parents at home.

What started as a hobby, encouraged by his beekeeping uncle, soon became a passion. The young entrepreneur also founded Beeing2gether, a company that sells bee-inscribed merch, raw honey and actual hives. He’s even written a book about the benefits of bees, the aptly titled Honey Bees & Beekeeping: A Mental Health Miracle.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

“I wanted to make this film because my family and I have a story to tell. As a beekeeper, I’ve learned that honeybees consistently act in social ways that benefit the entire hive—even at the sacrifice of individual gain. They are inherently altruistic, and they are great examples for understanding the significance of symbiotic relationships.”
—Keith Griffith III

MENTOR’S STATEMENT

“Not a lot of people ‘get their flowers while they can still smell them,’ and what I love about this film (and Keith’s family) is that they aren’t shy to express their love, gratitude and admiration for one another. They are a model for us all to better understand the interconnectedness of ourselves, our family and the planet. As Keith and his family always say, ‘we’re better off Beeing2gether.’”
—Evan Mascagni