Introducing Stephen Curtain: Bringing Ecological Stories to Life Through Film
Cindy Eiritz
Dear Friends,
I'd like to introduce my colleague, friend and new ERA member Stephen Curtain. Stephen is an ecologist, educator, Antarctic guide, and filmmaker with a rare gift for making invisible ecological processes visible.
Over many years, Stephen has helped tell stories about forests, water cycles, fungi, regenerative agriculture, and ecosystem restoration through films developed with initiatives such as Andhra Pradesh Community Natural Farming and collaborators including Walter Jehne.
I'm sharing Stephen's work because I believe his ability to translate complex ecological ideas into compelling visual stories is both unusual and deeply needed. If, as you read, anyone comes to mind who may be interested in connecting, collaborating, commissioning, or supporting this kind of storytelling, we would be very grateful for an introduction.
Stephen scripts, films, directs, edits, and produces cinematic stories focused on ecosystem restoration, regenerative agriculture, ecological cooling, conservation, and our relationship with the natural world. His work draws on decades of experience in environmental education, expedition guiding, ecological interpretation, and filmmaking across Australia's alpine regions, Antarctica, Japan, India, Russia's Kamchatka, and further afield.
You can learn more about Stephen and his work here:
Over many years, Stephen has generously contributed his talents to Regenerate Earth, helping translate complex ecological and hydrological processes into compelling visual stories.
Some of his recent work includes:
• Liquid Heart: Restoring the Australian Alps. A feature-length documentary exploring the vital relationship between forests, water, snow, climate, and landscape health in Australia's alpine regions. Bringing together scientists, land managers, Traditional Custodians, and restoration practitioners, the film explores how healthy forests and functioning water cycles influence landscape resilience.
• Fire vs Fungi. Created at the request of soil microbiologist and climate educator Walter Jehne, this film explores the often-overlooked role of fungi, biology, and ecological processes in landscape resilience and fire management. Walter's broader work on water cycles, ecological cooling, and climate resilience has reached a large international audience, with one of his presentations receiving more than 84,000 views.
• Climate Calming Natural Farming (APCNF). Created at the invitation of the APCNF team, this film tells the story of one of the world's largest agroecological transitions, involving approximately 1.8 million farmers participating in the transition to natural farming across Andhra Pradesh, India.
Together, these films explore practical pathways for understanding and
restoring the ecological processes that regulate water, climate, biodiversity,
and landscape resilience. What makes Stephen's work distinctive is his ability
to help people see and understand these often-hidden processes through a rare
combination of ecological understanding, education, and filmmaking.
As Stephen develops his next projects, we'd love to connect with people and organisations who share an interest in ecosystem restoration and the stories that help bring these ideas to life.
Current concepts in development include:
• Remaximise Snow Formation Through Nature. Exploring how forests, water cycles, landscape function, and ecosystem restoration influence snow formation and climate resilience.
• Can Whales Cool Antarctica? A deeper exploration of the role whales, marine ecosystems, and biological processes in Antarctic cooling and climate regulation.
• Fire vs Fungi – Practical Demonstration. A practical demonstration to reduce wildfire extremes by composting dry forest ground litter back into spongy, wet, living soils. Regenerate Earth Founder Phill Lee and Stephen are beginning trials in forests and grasslands in the Australian Alps. This approach has the potential to be applied safely in forests and grasslands around the world.
Regenerate Earth is incredibly grateful for Stephen's generous contribution over many years.
If anyone comes to mind who may be interested in a conversation, collaboration, commissioning opportunity, or introduction, we would be very grateful to hear from you.
warm regards,
Cindy
Cofounder & Director, Regenerate Earth
Growing Soils, Communities, Futures through
Consultancy, Education, Advocacy, Peer and Network Support
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