Bee Man

Robert Ireland – a bee keeper living outside Shelburne, Ontario – has a complex relationship with bees.

His family has been in the apiary business for three generations; he practices apitherapy; he survived a near-death attack with bees; and he consumes them to balance his immune system.

Not only are bees his livelihood, they also help keep him alive.

Creative team

Writer/director: Robert Lendrum, Morris Lum, Drew Ferguson
Producer: Drew Ferguson

Director’s statement

Robert Lendrum, Morris Lum and Drew Ferguson say:

“Bee Man is our first short documentary film shot over two months in the winter of 2008. Filmed and edited with a slow and considerate pace, we tried to let the film breathe and give viewers a chance to enjoy their time with Mr. Ireland as much as we did.

A consummate showman, Ireland generously imparted a small part of his shaman-like knowledge of bees. Bee Man is Lendrum and Lum’s first collaboration, but we continue to work on new projects together.”

About Robert Lendrum

Robert Lendrum is an artist working in video, performance and documentary. Raised between the suburbs of Toronto and the hamlet of Fallbrook, Ontario, he has been drawn to rural environments in Ontario for many of his projects. His work has screened or exhibited in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, London, Dawson City, Syracuse and Ann Arbor.

About Morris Lum

Morris Lum is a Toronto based photographer/artist who has just completed his MFA in Documentary Media at Ryerson University. His work explores the nature of cultural identity within the context of a diverse city such as Toronto. His ongoing photo series entitled The New Cultural Topographics examines the architecture of Chinese-Canadian restaurants in urban and suburban Toronto.

About Drew Ferguson

Drew is a documentary filmmaker and anthropologist who has studied bees and the society of beekeepers in Ontario. He received his Masters degree in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Guelph. He also holds a Specialist’s degree in Anthropology, a Major in Sociology, and a Minor in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Toronto.