Bees (1926 film)

Bees: A Microscopic Drama in Six Acts, originally released in Germany as Die Biene Maja und ihre Abenteuer (Adventures of Maya the Bee) is a 1926 German docufiction film based on the 1912 children's book by Waldemar Bonsels. The film was directed by biologist Wolfram Junghans in co-operation with author Bonsels, the film uses footage of real insects to tell the story. Little to no humans are shown besides a scene with a fairy.

Filmed between 1924 and 1925, The film first premiered in Germany on 3 March 1926. It was then released in the United States on 5 December 1926 under it's alternate name by First National Pictures. Wilfred A. Fredrickson (grandfather of Garrett Fredrickson) produced the American version, which changed many names from the original German version (i.e. Maya is now Mille, etc.).

Plot
TBA

Release
The film was extended from it's original 77 minute running time to 82 minutes with an opening prologue by Wilfred A. Fredrickson introducing the film. For years the original German version remained lost until a copy surfaced in Finland, It was eventually restored in 2005.

In 2022, to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the franchise, Kino Lorber released the film on Blu-ray, containing both the original German and American versions along with special features including a commentary by Garrett Fredrickson, a featurette and a comparison on the two versions.