New York, NY--Straight from the mind of “The March of the Penguins” creator comes a project you should definitely investigate. Luc Jacquet, the director and writer behind the informative, jaw-dropping, and downright adorable Oscar-winning film about Antarctica’s most famous residents, has envisioned and created a way for students—and students-at-heart—to learn about climate change in a way he can best teach it—through gorgeous film shot around the world.

Jacquet has created a multimedia project through his nonprofit Wild-Touch NGO. Called Ice & the Sky, it offers something for people of all ages curious about how our planet’s temperatures are changing – videos, animated films, storyboard diagrams, and interviews with leading scientists.“We have to break the walls between science, entertainment, and education and bring them all together.” All elements on the website can be used as teaching material, or viewed solo. 

We hosted Oscar-winning director Luc Jacquet (March of the Penguins) and his Wild-Touch team in our offices before the first screening in the United States of his latest film, Ice & the Sky. We're exploring ways to work together to tackle climate change.

Jacquet’s latest film, “Ice & the Sky,” focuses on French glaciologist Claude Lorius, who began researching in Antarctica in 1957 when he as 23. After 32 expeditions to frozen continent, the 82-year-old now looks back at his work—told through amazing archival footage—particularly at his breakthrough discovery of measuring carbon bubbles in ice, which reveal temperatures when they were formed. A collection of ice cores allowed the researchers to see the changes in temperatures throughout the ice ages and warmer periods, demonstrating that in the last 100 years, mankind’s role in releasing greenhouse gases has significantly altered the planet’s climate. Lorius was one of the first scientists to talk about global warming. “Ice & the Sky” closed the renowned Cannes film festival this year, and received a standing ovation nearly 10 minutes long.

Connect4 Climate was lucky enough to attend the first U.S. screening, held on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Jacquet spoke after the film, emphasizing his quest to help the younger generation understand what is happening and help them find solutions: “My duty is to do something for the planet. If everyone does something within their own professions we can move quickly.” Jacquet says his contribution to the climate movement is through the storytelling mechanism he knows best—film.

We will be sharing more details of Jacquet's exciting efforts soon. Stay tuned!