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Cuba: The Accidental Eden

The revolution goes from red to green.

90 miles south of Key West, Florida, Fidel Castro’s Cuba is crumbling.  But part of this sprawling nation is thriving – not in spite of, but because of the isolation…its wild places.  Now, the embargo could be lifted at any moment. Will the island’s wild creatures survive the rush to cash in on Cuba?

THE ACCIDENTAL EDEN follows scientists and researchers to Cuba’s ecological wonders as they work to protect the island’s hot spots before the exploitation begins.  This rare glimpse into the secretive island also reveals how through sea turtles, birds and its marine environment, Cuba is biologically linked to the entire region…even to its political adversary, the United States. With a critical opportunity to learn from the mistakes of their neighbors, Cuba’s most lasting revolution could be not red, but green.

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Written, Produced and Directed by
Doug Shultz
Editor
Mark Fason
Director of Photography
Ann Johnson Prum

Underwater Cinematography
Shane Moore
Supervising Producer
Peter Schnall
Coordinating Producer
Whitney Johnson
Narrator
Olga Merediz
Associate Producer
Andréa Borrero
Original Music
Gary Pozner
Production Assistant
Adina Pliskin
Additional Cinematography
Sam Griffin
Charles Castilla
Production Intern
James Burke
Sound Recordists
Boris Ivan Crespo, Geoff Gann, Chris Ruiz
Location Manager
Boris Ivan Crespo
Production Manager, Cuba
Michael Pacino, Cuba Films Productions
Animations
Phlesch Bubble, Inc.
Transportation
Demetrio Montalvo
Assistant Editor
Dashiell Eckman
Sound Design
Brian Beatrice
Sound Mix
Ed Campbell
Color Correction
Bjorn Bellenbaum
Production Accountant
Rebecca Cohen
Special Thanks
David Guggenheim
Fernando Bretos
Sandra Fernandez Mesa
Jennifer Gebelein



—For Nature—
Series Editor
Janet Hess
Series Producer
Bill Murphy
Executive Producer
Fred Kaufman
The Telegraph, Sept. 27, 2010
"PBS’s award-winning Nature launches Season 29 with a stunning look at Cuba’s wildlife and how lack of human meddling - as well as throngs of American tourists - has made this island nation the Caribbean's environmental jewel."
The Miami Herald, Sept. 26, 2010
"Fascinating and lovely."
2011 TELLY AWARD
Silver, Nature/Wildlife
2011 TELLY AWARD
Bronze, Copywriting