Merrymeeting Bay group to host underwater cinematographer Dec. 14

Mauricio Handler Submitted photo

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay’s third presentation of its 26th annual Winter Speaker Series, “Episode 1: Arrivals,” is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14.

It will feature Mauricio Handler of Durham, a natural history and underwater cinematographer.

Speaker series presentations, again being held via Zoom, are accessible via hyperlink at the top of the organization’s web page at fomb.org.

“Episode 1: Arrivals” is a wildlife documentary, to be part of a larger series “American Waters.” In the presentation, Handler — producer and cinematographer for the series — discusses his ongoing efforts to document Maine’s coastal and fresh water species arriving here in the spring.

The one-hour special tells the intertwining stories of various aquatic species and the characters that benefit from their annual migration to Maine’s coastal waters, estuaries, rivers and ponds, according to a news release from the Richmond-based organization.

Handler is a natural history and underwater cinematographer based in Maine. As cinematographer, director of photography and producer at his company Aquaterrafilms, Handler has contributed and collaborated on various documentary films and specials around the world, including “The Humboldt Current” (Curiosity Stream/HBO Max), “Perpetual Planet: Heroes of the Ocean” (BBC/Rolex) and “Our Universe” (a Netflix Production).

He produced and filmed his series “Ocean Secrets” and “World of Oceans,” both of which are distributed internationally to TV networks around the world. His latest contribution aired this past summer on CNN in the six episode series, “Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World.”

The Winter Speaker Series takes place October through May, the second Wednesday of each month. The Jan. 11 presentation, “Where the Wild Things Were,” features author Will Stolzenburg in discussion with FOMB Chair Ed Friedman. This event is set for 7 p.m., with the Zoom access link available a week or so prior to the presentation.

Speaker Series presentations are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact FOMB at 207-666-3372 or edfomb@comcast.net.