View Epiphany Movie Trailer
A popular definition of epiphany as defined in the Oxford Dictionary is: “A moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. For me, an epiphany is a sublime moment. It is an awakening, when your thoughts come into focus and there is a moment of clarity. The opportunity presents itself as an illuminating thought. A moment of such great revelation can bring forth incredible things.
I have had the privilege to get to know award-winning filmmaker and wildlife cinematographer Michael Maes and his wife Ellen Cuylaerts, an award-winning wildlife photographer. They are truly two of the most amazing people I have ever met. They are inspiring, compassionate, kind, generous, brave and humble people. I am grateful to know them. As a family they live intriguing and extraordinary lives as explorers and conservationists. They explore the world and use their gifts and talents in film and photography to share their passion for conservation with the world. An underlying message in their documentary Epiphany is the power of film and photography. I am a firm believer that art whether it is in the form of film, photography, writing or any other genre has the ability to create change and have a positive impact. The photographs and film both Michael and Ellen share with the world captures stunning encounters with wildlife, marine life and spectacular scenic views of nature. It serves to remind us this planet is worth fighting for and protecting. Art has an incredible ability to connect us all on a universal level.
For Michael and Ellen, film and photography is a means for them to contribute to nature and conservation— a way of giving back. They use their films and photography to educate, and create awareness about various environmental issues. A strong image whether captured in a still photograph or a moving picture can evoke emotion, share a powerful message and allow an opportunity for one to be enlightened and enriched. In particular, a scene in their documentary Epiphany with Whale Sharks captures a collection of beautiful moments spent in the presence of these majestic creatures. There is utter tranquility within this scene and the Whale Sharks swim gracefully. The scene showed the majesty of sharks— they are not to be feared but respected. Other scenes with Oceanic White Tips present the elegant poises and patterns of these sharks as they glide through the water, depicting them beautifully in their natural habitat. The sharks and divers were able to inhabit the space harmoniously. It is important to note, the divers still had to remain very vigilant at all times. Ellen and Michael take great care in the composition of their photography by ensuring they develop a connection with the wildlife during their encounter and allow that to translate in their photography. By doing so, it creates a powerful image illustrating that there is a story and meaning behind every photograph. The heart of their photography and film is to remind us all what a privilege it is to live on this beautiful planet and to not take for granted our natural resources, the environment, the ocean and all animals. There is a great urgency for a united effort and action to happen globally to increase conservation of the environment and protection of all animals. As advocates for the ocean they are keen to promote awareness of the urgency to protect sharks. Ellen and Michael use film and photography to promote conservation and help rehabilitate the image of sharks by showing us that sharks are to be respected not feared. The real fear is a life without sharks. The reality is if sharks continue to be slaughtered for their fins and their population continues to rapidly decline they will face extinction. Sharks have been roaming the ocean immensely longer than humans have inhabited the planet. It would be a great tragedy for sharks to become extinct. There is no coming back from extinction.
Recently, I had the opportunity to watch their documentary Epiphany a film that is inspiring and moving. The film left a profound impact on me. It is a film that I hold dear to my heart, as it was truly special to watch a film friends of mine had made and with such admirable bravery they shared their story with the world. I implore others to watch their award-winning documentary which is currently available on iTunes. The documentary touches on a variety of themes: the power of art and film, conservation of sharks, environmentalism, Autism, the unbreakable bond of a family and finding bravery to overcome fear. Michael and his family are incredibly courageous to share a vulnerable side of their lives and their journey through life with the world. Primarily, the narrative of the film tells the journey of Ellen and how she finds the bravery to overcome her fear of the ocean. It is her kids that leads Ellen back to nature. It is on this journey, Ellen rediscovers her love for photography which allows her to overcome her fear of the water by swimming with sharks and photographing them. The film also touches on Michael and their kids Margaux and Max leading extraordinary lives with autism. A takeaway from their documentary is that there is a need in this world to look past each others differences and accept one another as they are. We are all uniquely different and that is what adds to our individual beauty. There is a need for society to stop labelling and creating divides due to differences— being different can be a remarkable gift. A beautiful message within in the film, is the families unbreakable bond. The diagnosis of Autism running in their family understandably initially created a feeling of isolation, fear and hardship. However, together as a family they were able to thrive and live out their passions. All of them having wonderfully marvelous courageous lives. As a family they inspire us all to live a life of compassion, kindness and bravery.
The power and healing of nature is beautifully interwoven within the story which unfolds throughout the documentary. Nature serves as a catalyst to connect the family together, strengthen their bond and open doors for amazing opportunities to share their passion for conservation, film, photography and art. A beautiful synergy is built between the family as they collectively immerse themselves in exploring nature and the depths of the ocean. A profound message the documentary presents is that Ellen is able to move past her fear of the ocean and develop a trust within nature. The ocean serves as a bit of a paradox in Ellen’s life, while on one hand it is the foundation of her fear of water, yet on the other, it serves to inspire her to contribute to conservation, follow her passion of photography and connect deeply with her family. By having nature as an integral component of their lives, the differences within the family does not create walls to divide them, in fact nature bridges the family together and anchors them. Moreover, through expeditions exploring nature, it brings forth a bravery within each of them to overcome their own personal fears. Through their conservation efforts and giving back to nature, each of them were able embrace their individualism and remain true to themselves and their passion for the environment, photography, film and art.
Meet Michael Maes
Michael Maes is a wildlife filmmaker, specialized in big animals and animal behavior. His portfolio (both underwater and topside) covers the polar regions, temperate waters and the tropics. He has a passionate interest for polar bears and Arctic whales.
His work has been broadcast on various national television like Nat Geo Wild, Outside Television, CBC. It also received recognition at a myriad of international film festivals; reflecting the ability to translate the need for wildlife conservation onto the screen.
In 2015 Michael was inducted as cinematographer in the Ocean Artists Society (http://www.oceanartistssociety.org), an organization uniting artists worldwide to raise awareness and protect the marine environment through art. Michael is also a founding Navigator of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (http://www.reefresearch.org), a leading scientific research centre in the Caribbean focusing on coral reef restoration, research on coral resilience, and ocean education.
More About Michael
Website michaelmaes.com (Currently Under Construction)
Check out some of his recent Arctic Work:
Q & A with Award-winning Filmmaker Michael Maes
1. What inspired the documentary and for you to tell this story?
Ellen Cuylaerts; my wife; challenged herself to overcome her fear of water and sharks, culminating her personal growth by feeding those feared sharks. That was the story to which many viewers can relate to.
2. What is the heart of the documentary? Or the core message for audiences to take from watching the film?
Basically Epiphany is a story about all of us. Everyone has his or her fears, everyone faces challenges of life, we can all make decisions to alter our paths.
Epiphany shows the viewer setbacks can be turned into strongholds of life itself.
In short, Epiphany is a story of hope.
3. Did you face any challenges while making this documentary?
Apart from logistical nightmares, the complete lack of privacy for our family during the 18 months of filming was very exigent. Although most of the shootings were at dream locations, we constantly had cameras and microphones pointed at or near us. Especially Ellen as I was fortunate enough to be behind the camera for most of the underwater filming and all areal cinematography.
Next would be the communication between the producer (me) and the rest of the crew. Having autism makes it very difficult to communicate my thoughts; up to a point where I even think I “say” something but I actually only “think” it. That has lead to many difficult situations, frustrations and even words. But, ultimately and always thanks to Ellen, we regrouped and were able to finish a gem.
4. What was one key lesson you learned from making this film?
Don’t think what you say but say what you think!
5. Is there a particular scene in the documentary that resonates with you or has the most significant meaning to you?
To me the most emotional scene in the documentary is at the end where Ellen stands strong among tens of sharks circling her and I (you can’t see that of course as I am filming it) am lying flat on the sand at her feet; filming Ellen from that extreme low angle; all the way up to the water surface; sharks everywhere.
That scene grabs me the most as it portrays in images the fact that Ellen conquered her fear, surrounded by sharks yet she is the one who is in charge! There she stands, holding food next to her body, telling the sharks with her body-language to not come in for the food… she… her… your wife… the mother of your two children… surrounded by sharks… I cannot express how powerful that scene is for a filmmaker who’s the husband of the talent…
As a cinematographer that scene also grabs me as it is – excuse-moi the bragging – simply a formidable shot completed by the genius score of music written by the Belgian musician Eric Bettens.
6. What was your favorite filming location?
Honestly? None! They all had their particular challenges and filmic rewards. A favorite moment I could tell you: a close to two hour dive with only Ellen and myself at Tiger Beach. We were down there without bait or chum. We just wanted to have our Zen moment; away from the fuzzy madness of the production. Did we get rewarded for being there: we had three 12 feet tiger sharks and a bunch of lemons and reefies. A mind-blowing peaceful moment! This footage did not end up in the documentary as the sequences were too long and beautiful to cut. Now that Epiphany is released I will review those amazing scenes again.
7. What do you hope this documentary will accomplish? Or what is your goal or hope for this film?
Of course we want to spread awareness on the sad condition sharks are facing globally. But we also want people to think about their own life and take action if they want to. We want Epiphany to bring hope to those whom are trapped in a fixed pattern, caught in a seemingly hopeless situation.
8. What does the film mean to you and your family?
30 months of blood, sweat and tears.
9. Do you believe film and art has the power to help bring positive changes to the environment?
Many of the world’s environmental issues are far out of reach of most people. Pictures and film bring those issues closer to many, though often in the hard “documenting” way – which is good of course.
Bringing the animals and their world to the beholder in all beauty – nature as it is – makes people see the beauty of those animals. This could lessen the fear of the unknown and invoke interest in the animal or its habitat. Every time I get a message from someone I don’t know telling me some work of mine made him or her get interested in that animal or its environment, is a bigger reward to me than a paycheck.
10. Do you find using art and film as a medium allows you to see the impact and changes in the environment differently, than as opposed to just reading about the issues our environment faces?
As I am a person whom thinks in images, I would believe so. However I feel this question should better be answered by an avid and passionate reader.
More Info about Epiphany
Website : www.epiphany.movie
Epiphany on iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/epiphany/id1169290433
Trailer Epiphany : https://vimeo.com/156486645
Special Thanks
Special thanks: Photos and video courtesy of Michael Maes and Ellen Cuylaerts