About The Film

As the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age, they left an astounding gift of connected rivers, lakes and wetlands across the heartland of North America. Today, these largely unknown water highways remain an oasis for sustaining wildlife. From the herds of bison that still roam the Great Plains to the vital honeybees that pollinate our crops and especially for the millions of magnificent birds that migrate along these “flyways.”

Wings Over Water tells the story of the epic journeys of three amazing bird families – the Sandhill Crane, the Yellow Warbler and the Mallard Duck – with extraordinary footage of their fascinating behaviors.

Audiences will be captivated by the triumphs and challenges of these remarkable creatures that defy all odds and soar across mountains, deserts, cities and forests as they head home to raise their young.

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The Sandhill Crane
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The Sandhill Crane

Sandhill cranes migrate in massive flocks from the boreal forest and Arctic regions of Canada, Alaska and Siberia all the way down to New Mexico and Florida. Their enormous wingspan exceeds 7 feet, allowing them to stay aloft for extended periods. These high flyers have one of the longest fossil histories of any living bird, with little change in over 2.5 million years.

During their migration, 75% of the entire population can be found along just one stretch of the Platte River in Nebraska. This wildlife spectacle has already been filmed by our talented team of cinematographers.

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The Yellow Warbler
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The Yellow Warbler

There are over 50 species of warbler found in North America. The most widespread of these is the yellow warbler which stands out for its vibrant feathers and beautiful songs, along with the epic migration this bird makes from South to North America.

The yellow warbler plays an important role as a predator in controlling insect populations, but the warblers themselves are prey for other species. In an astounding case of invasive animal behavior, cowbirds will lay their eggs in yellow warbler nests causing them to unknowingly raise cowbird babies as their own.

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The Mallard Duck
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The Mallard Duck

Mallards are one of the most widespread species of ducks in the world. These iconic birds can be seen from the remote Arctic tundras to subtropical forests and even in the heart of major urban centers. Due to their remarkable ability to adapt, survive and migrate long distances, nearly 12 million can be found in the U.S. alone.

Often seen waddling around parks and floating in ponds, people might not know what a critical role mallards play in sustaining wetland habitats worldwide. By dispersing seeds from the plants they eat, they bring together separate areas of these ecosystems otherwise cut off from one another.

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Filmmakers
Chris Dorsey
Executive Producer
Chris Dorsey

Chris Dorsey, CEO of Dorsey Pictures (a Red Arrow Studios company), is a longtime industry executive with well-over 1500 hours of programming at Dorsey Pictures, including 150+ hours leading the frontier movement in Alaska-centric programming, successful programming in true crime and a thriving branded entertainment division that will celebrate its 20-year anniversary in 2021. Rather than being limited to one sector of media, Dorsey’s extensive personal deal-making extends to networks, syndicators and some of the biggest brands in the world.

Prior to launching Dorsey Pictures, Dorsey spent 17 years producing more than 50 series in the outdoor adventure genre for ESPN, ESPN2, NBC Sports Network and many more.

Before beginning his career in television, Dorsey was a publishing executive, running some of the largest magazine titles in America. His work has appeared in a wide variety of national publications including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Television Week, National Geographic, Writer's Digest and scores of outdoor adventure periodicals.

He is the author of seven books on adventure, natural history and business subjects.

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Charlie Potter
Executive Producer
Charlie Potter

Charles S. Potter Jr. is president and CEO of the McGraw Center for Conservation Leadership and of the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. He is well known throughout the United States for his leadership in the conservation arena. Charlie has also successfully started and operated businesses in the outdoor recreation industry and has been engaged in the world of agriculture investing to create agriculture properties that benefit conservation and natural resource interests.

He has served as CEO of the North American Wildlife Foundation (now Delta Waterfowl Foundation), and has worked on projects to enhance wetlands, habitat, open space and the efficiency of conservation funding throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is a past chair of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, and is a past or current board member of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Advisory Board, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, National Land Trust Alliance, Mississippi Wildlife Federation, Sand County Foundation, the Property and Environment Research Center, Lake Forest (Ill.) Open Lands, and The Wetlands Initiative. He is a life sponsor of Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl Foundation and the National Rifle Association.

Among his honors: Induction into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame, the Chevron/Times Mirror Conservationist of the Year Award, and Reader’s Digest “Heroes of The Land.” Charlie is a passionate waterfowler; his book Following the Flight chronicled the migration of ducks and geese from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. For more than 15 years, he has hosted WGN Radio’s “Great Outdoors Show,” America’s most listened to radio show on conservation issues. Charlie graduated from Northwestern University.

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Andrew Young
Director/Producer/Writer
Andrew Young

Andrew Young is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy Award-winning Director/Producer/Director of Photography. Drawn to stories where the lives of humans intersect with nature, Young is the co-founder of Archipelago Films and Arise Media, a non-profit dedicated to creating groundbreaking media about the most urgent social and environmental challenges of our time.

Young's world-class cinematography is shot primarily in 4K and 8K digital where he uses probe lenses, inventive motion-control rigs, time-lapse, and high-speed frame rates to capture wildlife and landscape in never-before-seen ways.

At Archipelago Films, he has directed and filmed both documentaries and fiction work, such as Backyard Wilderness, Children of Fate, Americanos, The Last Royals, Deadly Messengers and Madagascar: A World Apart with HBO, Cinemax, National Geographic, the BBC, and PBS. With a Master's Degree from Yale University in Physical Anthropology, he has extensive experience in science and animal behavior.

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Susan Todd
Director/Producer/Writer
Susan Todd

Susan is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy Award-winning Director/Producer. As co-founder of New York-based production company Archipelago Films, Todd has directed, produced and written television and theatrical films that explore cutting-edge stories about nature and people's lives, with the highest production value.

At Archipelago Films, she has directed, produced and recorded sound for both documentaries and fiction work, such as Backyard Wilderness, Children of Fate, Americanos, The Last Royals, Lives in Hazard and Madagascar: A World Apart, broadcast on HBO, Cinemax, National Geographic, NBC, and PBS.

Todd has worked previously as a producer at PBS WNET, holds a Masters in Journalism, from Columbia University and studied filmmaking at Harvard University.

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Diane Roberts
Producer
Diane Roberts

Diane began her film career in the UK working on Feature Films, Documentaries, Commercials and Music Videos. Her IMAX® Career began with "Rolling Stones at the MAX", the first IMAX Concert Film, and the first 90 minute IMAX® Film. She joined the IMAX® Natural History Unit in Bristol, working with Christopher Parsons OBE and Sir David Attenborough and produced the Academy award nominated “Fires of Kuwait”. Followed by Secrets Of Life on Earth and Survival Island.

She has a distinguished career and continues to be involved in the production of many "A" list 2D and 3D IMAX® Films including: All Access, Wolves, Straight Up, Journey to Mecca, Born to be Wild, Madagascar Island of Lemurs, Terrance Mailck's Voyage of Time, Pandas 3D. Superpower Dogs, Great Bear Rainforest, Asteroid Impact, Wings Over Water, to name a few.

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