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Award Winner

Festival Season:

March 2024

The Dolphin Dilemma

The Dolphin Dilemma

Directors:

Writers:

Olivia Andrus-Drennan
Olivia Andrus-Drennan

Producers:

Olivia Andrus-Drennan

Run Time:

0:18:03

Awarded for the following Category(s):

Awarded Category(s)

Imagine, waking up being covered in third-degree burns, that's what it's like for the Burrunan dolphins in Australia. But why is this happening? That's what Dr. Duignan, Director of Pathology at The Marine Mammal Center, Dr. Stephen’s from Murdoch University, and Dr. Robb from the Marine Mammal Foundation had to find out. This film explores this international collaboration that proves for the first time that these lesions being found on cetaceans around the world are only caused by climate change.

Submitter Statement

This project came from an internship I did with The Marine Mammal Center after they had published the first paper proving that climate change is responsible for lesions on cetaceans around the world. The scientists working on this project are devoted to the protection of our ocean health and our world. 


It touched my heart and I hope to share with the viewers that same urgency as the oceans continue to warm. There are things we can do in our local communities around the world to help combat climate change and protect our homes in the process. Get involved with your communities science groups, learn how you can help where you live, and together lets protect the world we call home!

Olivia Andrus-Drennan is the producer, director, cinematographer, editor, and owner of Big Sky Genesis Productions LLC. Currently, she a video producer for the Global Foundation for Ocean Explorations working on videos to highlight the research being done in the deep sea. She graduated from Montana State University with the Science and Natural History Filmmaking Degree in the fall of 2022. She has produced many different award-winning documentaries such as The Dolphin Dilemma, Diversified: The Florida Panther Story, Grounded, and Beauty. 


She has worked closely with many different departments within Montana State University on different promotional videos for the College of Letters & Science, Math department, lab-based videos for the College of Letters & Sciences Chemistry department, and development and research for the film Aging in Style 2 for the College of Nursing. 


Her company created three political and instructional videos for Montana VOICES about how to create a public comment in the state of Montana. She has worked on many scientific documentaries for companies such as The Marine Mammal Center, Marine Mammal Foundation, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge, Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the American Chemical Society, and NOAA.

Key Cast

Dr. Kate Robb, Dr. Padraig Duignan, Chantel Foord, Amber Crittendon

Other Credits

Cinematographers: Olivia Andrus-Drennan, Samuel Vered
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