New State Pictures has joined forces with Curiosity Rights to secure the life rights of scientist Susan Solomon, who led pioneering research into the destruction of the ozone layer in the 1980s.
The partners plan to produce a film that will place a spotlight on how the work undertaken by Solomon and her team led to global awareness of the issue and action to resolve the crisis.
Solomon, then only 30, along with her team, unearthed findings that have shaped our approach to environmental preservation. Their research pointed to the rapidly growing hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic. The continuing growth of the hole would have led to exposure to toxic sun radiation worldwide.
Her team established the adverse effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer, which was instrumental in the historic adoption of the Montreal Protocol in 1987. This landmark agreement regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals that are considered ozone depleting substances.
Ana Emdin, managing director at New State Pictures, said: “I was profoundly inspired by Dr. Susan Solomon’s story. It’s incredible to think how she and her team managed to convince the entire world to ban the use of CFCs. Today, as we see the ozone layer healing, we can say that Susan’s actions back in the 80s saved our planet from a lethal catastrophe. I hope we can remind audiences worldwide that there are positive narratives surrounding climate change, and they can indeed be inspiring and uplifting.”
New State Pictures is a newly-established development company in London, founded by Emdin, an ex-literary adaptations development producer. New State’s other projects include Booker Prize longlisted psychological thriller “Case Study” by Graeme Macrae Burnet, and the Windham-Campbell prize-winning historical book “White Malice” by Susan Williams.
Development and finance company Curiosity Rights is led by J.D. Zacharias. He is an executive producer on “Compulsion,” directed by horror film director Neil Marshall, a co-executive producer on Matt Brown’s biopic “Freud’s Last Session,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode, and an executive producer on animated feature film “The Inventor,” directed by Oscar-nominated “Ratatouille” writer Jim Capobianco.
