SEATTLE – February 3, 2000 – Clear Blue Sky Productions and Earthwatch Institute today announced that Me & Isaac Newton, directed by award-winning director Michael Apted, will receive the prestigious Earthwatch Institute Film Award at the National Geographic Society’s Grosvenor Auditorium on Saturday, February 12. Focusing on the extraordinary contributions and passion of seven scientists, this feature length documentary explores the roots of scientific creativity and inspiration. Produced by Jody Patton and Eileen Gregory and presented by Paul G. Allen, Me & Isaac Newton is the second feature documentary from Clear Blue Sky Productions. The film has received critical acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival, Australian International Documentary Conference and International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

To inspire future scientists, Clear Blue Sky Productions, Earthwatch Institute and the National Geographic Society have generously arranged for 100 high school students to attend the Earthwatch Awards screening on February 12. In addition, Dr. Patricia C. Wright, one of the film’s profiled scientists, will participate in a Q&A session following the screening.

Dr. Wright, a renowned primatologist who helped spearhead an effort to save the rainforests of Madagascar, is one of seven scientists featured in this extraordinary film fashioned with loving care by filmmaker Apted (the “7 Up” series, now at its “42 Up” installment, “Incident at Oglala,” the new James Bond movie, “The World Is Not Enough,” “Coal Miner's Daughter,” and “Gorillas in the Mist.”)

Me & Isaac Newton is a personal exploration into the influences that molded these remarkable individuals into the exceptional scientists they have become. Each of the seven scientists profiled share a desire to help shape our world into a more thoughtful and humane place for future generations. From ordinary childhood experiences to tragic personal loss, the scientists provide candid insight into the personal motivations and experiences that inspired their creativity. Apted’s vision and tremendous skill as a filmmaker offer the viewer a rare opportunity to share in the process that shaped these seven ordinary people into extraordinary scientific heroes.

Clear Blue Sky Productions (CBSP) is the independent film production company founded by new media investor Paul G. Allen in 1997. Under the direction of president Jody Patton, CBSP originates, develops and funds creative and artistically driven films. The company's first projects included INSPIRATIONS, a feature length documentary about creativity in the arts also directed by Michael Apted; MEN WITH GUNS, the recent feature by John Sayles; and TITUS, the first feature film by Tony award-winning director Julie Taymor, starring Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, and Alan Cumming. Currently in production with co-production partner WGBH/Nova Science Unit is an eight-hour documentary series on evolution, intended for broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2001. The series will mark CBSP’s first television project.