In Animal Pride: Nature’s Coming Out Story, Queer naturalist Connel Bradwell challenges mainstream biology’s blindspot for queer animal behaviour in nature. Schooled in the birds and the bees, survival of the fittest, The Origin of Species, Connel sees the disconnect – how can humans be Queer, while animals supposedly aren’t?

After observing same-sex behaviour in orcas, Connel embarks on a journey to unveil nature’s true diversity of gender expression and sexuality. Fueled by his love for the natural world, Connel discovers the science behind same-sex parenting in seabirds, hermaphrodite slugs, and the hidden history of same-sex penguin behaviour. Not your typical wildlife documentary, Animal Pride celebrates diversity, and presents a riotous rebellion against stereotypes. It also has the capacity to fundamentally shift how we see the natural world, and our place within it.

We’ve all heard the rhetoric – that being queer isn’t natural. Connel’s irreverent approach takes a wrecking ball to the ivory tower of heteronormative science, demanding answers to why the world has been missing out on the wild, wonderful, and downright sexy side of nature.

JAYLEN BASTOS (They/them)

Jaylen Bastos is an educator who explores ecology, through queer theory and Black historical lens. Jaylen is the founder and CEO of a land-based learning organization called Zoboomafoolish, operating across Canada in cities like Vancouver and Toronto. Their programs focus on animal behaviour, urban ecosystems, and queer ecology that highlights Black, Indigenous, and Queer perspectives and theory. By night they serve the city of Vancouver as a talented drag performer by the name of Batty Banks. Often seen diving, dipping and stunting; while in drag Batty attempts to blend the worlds of wildlife and performance to create new experiences for people to learn and grow together. Want to see Batty in action? Check out her on Instagram under the name @Batty.Banks

KRISTIINA OVASKA (She/her)

Ever since she was a child, Kristiina has been fascinated with all things creepy, crawly and/or slimy. After receiving a doctoral degree from the University of Victoria, she completed two post-doctoral studies in population biology and behavioural ecology with the University of British Columbia and McGill University, respectively. Currently, she is senior ecologist with Biolinx Environmental Research Ltd. and research associate at the Royal British Columbia Museum, where she dabbles with the mollusc collections. For 11 years, she served as co-chair of Amphibians & Reptiles Species Specialist Committee of COSEWIC (Committee On the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) and also as a member of COSEWIC’s Mollusc Subcommittee. Kristiina is presently co-chair of IUCN’s Amphibian Specialist Group Canada, and a member of IUCN’s global Amphibian and Mollusc specialist groups.

LESLEY MACPHERSON (She/her)

Lesley Macpherson of the DLNR Division of State Parks is an Interpretive Technician at Ka‘ena Point State Park. Lesley is well known for documenting the birth of endangered Hawaiian monk seal pups. Lesley assists with monitoring endangered species throughout Ka’ena Point State Park. Before becoming the lead technician, Lesley lived out at Ka‘ena for decades. She teaches educational programs for visitors and school groups that include the history of the area and the sensitive species that live there. She strictly enforces permit policies and rules making sure no one is too close to the albatross, endangered monk seals and other wildlife.

LINDSAY YOUNG (She/her)

Lindsay Young earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Science from the University of Hawai`i. In 2009, she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Hawai`i where her research focused on the population genetics, at sea foraging ecology, and conservation needs of Laysan Albatross. Lindsay is the current chair of the World Seabird Union, has served as the treasurer for the Pacific Seabird Group, the chair of the North Pacific Albatross Working Group, is the former North Pacific correspondent for ACAP (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels), and as a reviewer for multiple refereed journals. Lindsay was one of the 2011 recipients of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards for her work on the Nihoa Millerbird Translocation.

HINALEIMOANA WONG-KALU (She/her)

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu is the protagonist and educational advisor for the award winning films Kumu Hina and A Place in the Middle, produced the award-winning short Lady Eva, the PBS feature documentary Leitis in Waiting about her fakafāfine sisters in the Kingdom of Tonga, and the feature The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu. Kumu Hina received the National Education Association Ellison Onizuka Human Rights Award (2016), Native Hawaiian Educator of the Year (2018) and White House Champion of Change (2020) for the groundbreaking impact campaigns associated with her film work along with her advocacy and teaching. Kumu Hina is a transgender health and well-being advocate and is co-founder of Kulia Na Mamo, an organization serving Mahu and other underserved people of color. Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu now proudly wears the role of Cultural Ambassador for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement in service to Hawaii and her people and community.

CARIN BONDAR (She/her)

Dr. Carin Bondar is a biologist, author, and philosopher. Dr. Bondar is the author of the books Wild Sex and Wild Moms (Pegasus, New York), she is the writer and host of the online series based on her books, which have garnered over 150 million views. Bondar’s work appears on National Geographic, Discovery Worldwide, TED, Animal Planet, Netflix, and The Science Channel. Bondar received a PhD from the Faculty of Forestry in 2007 for her research on the ecological role of signal crayfish in its various stages of development from juvenile to adult. She is an adventurer and explorer, having discovered 7 new species of beetles and snails in the remote jungles of Borneo with her research team from the Netherlands (Leiden) and Italy (Verona). Recently elected to the Chilliwack School Board, Bondar is an advocate for STEM education and for keeping girls in STEM subjects through high school. She is the founder and president of the STEM Angels Foundation, dedicated to supporting Moms in science.

DOUGLAS RUSSELL (He/him)

Douglas Russel is the Senior Curator of Birds responsible for the curation of the national avian egg and nest collections at the Department of Zoology at the Natural History Museum (NHM). Douglas is responsible for all aspects of curatorial care and access to the NHM collection of Bird’s Eggs & Nests, one of the largest resources of its kind in the world. His duties include visitor inquiries, documentation and research on the collections which contain over 300,000 clutches. Containing over 4000 examples, the NHM Nest Collection is unique, with an intimate record of bird behavior and increasingly recognized as an internationally important research resource on avian architecture, behavior and evolution.

IGNACIO MARTINEZ (He/him)

Ignacio Martinez is completing his PhD at the University of Department of Biology, Polar Ecology and Conservation Group. His current research uses technology to capture biologically meaningful data for conservation. Particularly using time-lapse imagery from camera-trap data in order to monitor the breeding ecology of penguin colonies all over the Antarctic Peninsula and Subantarctic Islands. Martinez is using the data generated by Penguin Watch to understand the ecology and impacts of climate change and other human-induced alterations on penguin colonies. His approach is to not only study penguins from a conservation perspective but also to include their behavioural ecology in order to understand how the different threats including climate change impact their populations.

RIO MITCHELL (She/they)
Director

A bright light in a new generation of filmmakers, Rio Mitchell is best known for True Survivors – The Nature of Things and Fox Chaser: A Winter on the Trapline (2018 – CSA nominated, AMPIA winning). Across an innovative range, Rio produced several immersive and short films installed in the Human History wing of the Royal Alberta Museum. Becoming the Creative Producer for Edmonton’s Indigenous People’s Experience, a permanent 8000ft’ immersive-media Indigenous cultural centre, the experience won the 2021 THEA Outstanding Achievement Award recognizing it as the year’s most outstanding heritage centre worldwide. Rio’s directorial debut Fox Chaser (CBC) was nominated for Best Documentary at the Canadian Screen Awards and swept the 2019 Alberta Motion Picture Awards.

True Survivors was nominated for Best Director at the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, and Best Nature Documentary at the Canadian Screen Awards.

CAROLYN WHITTAKER (She/her)
Producer

Carolyn is a multifaceted entrepreneur, ecology researcher, and award winning film producer with a Master of Science and a certificate in film production (New York Film Academy). She was producer for True Survivors which was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Science and Nature documentary (2024). In 2023, Carolyn earned a Buzzie award- the Emerging Producer of the Year at the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers. She is currently producing “Animal Pride, Nature’s Coming Out Story”, a feature documentary that explores the diversity and evolution of sexual and gender expression in the animal kingdom. She also produced “Carbon, the Unauthorized Biography”, which premiered in 2022. Carolyn continues to work as a consulting ecologist and is on the board of Surfrider Foundation Canada. Carolyn was a founding Director and Ecology lead for the Firelight Research Inc. (2009 to 2020).

RYAN WILKES (He/him)
Director of Photography

Ryan Wilkes is a multi-talented storyteller whose passion for science, adventure and conservation is reflected in his work as a cinematographer and photographer. His diverse background, which includes a PhD in Bioengineering and experience as a materials scientist, gives him a unique perspective when it comes to communicating complex scientific topics in an accessible and engaging way. Ryan has shot on all seven continents and his cinematography can be seen in multiple documentaries currently in production with major networks including CBC, PBS and ARTE. He has received several awards for his independent short documentaries and is an alumnus of the Jackson Wild Media Lab and the Being Black in Canada filmmaking program.

ERINN DRAGE (She/her)
Co-Writer and Location Producer

Erinn Drage is an environmentalist, filmmaker, protected areas enthusiast and outdoor adventure guide. Originally from Nova Scotia, she now calls Canmore, AB home. In recent years Erinn has worked as an expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctica, directed, shot, and edited digital media series’ for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and conducted research on nature-based tourism economies in the Denali region of Alaska. Her first feature-length documentary, In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors, follows the story of the Sahtú Dene and the Canol Trail in the Northwest Territories. Erinn also works as a conservation and protected areas professional with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).

KIMMORTAL (They/them)
Music Composer

KIMMORTAL aka Kim (they/them) is a multi-hyphenate artist and musician. Their ancestry is from Pangasinan and Negros Occidental, Philippines. Combining their passion for hip hop, visual art, theatre, spoken word, ancestral wisdom, and liberation, Kimmortal is known for their multi-dimensional approach to music. This past year Kim’s original music for “Sort Of” (out now on HBO, CBC) was nominated for Canadian screen awards and their music video “Blue and Orange” received Best Music Video at Disorient Asian American film festival.

DANNY COX (He/him)
Editor and Cinematographer

Editor and Director of Photography of the Canadian Screen Award nominated documentary, True Survivors, Danny moves seamlessly between storytelling as an editor and as a cinematographer. Director of Photography for the flagship immersive 360° projection gallery What Makes Us Strong at the Royal Alberta Museum, Danny was recently nominated for a shared AMPIA Rosie (Best Cinematography – Scripted under 30 minutes) for a multiscreen film at Fort Edmontons’ Indigenous Peoples Experience. Working in documentary, Danny was DOP for the multi award winning films Elder in the Making (CBC, 2016) and Fox Chaser (CBC, 2019) which also awarded him an AMPIA Rosie (Best Cinematographer – Non-Fiction over 30 minutes).

MO BRADLEY (They/them)
Story Advisor

Mo Bradley has created over 40 award-winning short films that have screened at festivals around the globe. Mo’s subversive first feature, Two 4 One (2014), was lauded by critics as the first and best trans rom-com. It won numerous film festival awards, including the Audience Award at Translations, Seattle’s Transgender Film Festival, and Best Canadian Feature at The Blinding Light Film Festival and Victoria Film Festival. Over the last 25 years, Bradley has been president of and sat on numerous boards of artist-run and film centres, including nationally on IMAA. Bradley was the first female director in the Director’s Guild of Canada (Saskatchewan Branch). In 1992, Bradley reached their largest audience of millions on the CBC TV Series, Road Movies. Mo is a Professor in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria—teaching screenwriting, film production and film studies. Two 4 One is available on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. Bradley is currently developing the TV series Dopamine and the Telefilm-funded feature script Missing: Presumed Dead.

NIOBE THOMPSON (He/him)
Executive Producer

Anthropologist and filmmaker Niobe Thompson’s documentaries reach back to our human origins, explore the mysteries of evolution, and tackle the environmental dilemmas of the Anthropocene. After co-directing the 2022 feature doc Carbon – The Unauthorised Biography, his 2024 film Hunt for the Oldest DNA premieres at CPH:DOX. He is a three-time winner of Canada’s most prestigious award for science and nature documentaries: the Rob Stewart Award for “Best Science and Nature Program”. His films have been nominated for two Emmy Awards, and he produced the Sundance-winning short film “Fast Horse”. Niobe is the founding producer of British-Columbia based Handful of Films.

Coming Soon to CBC The Nature of Things

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