A free short film about two men and a 5mm spider on one very big adventure

Media release: 31 May 2016

Uncover the true story of how a larger-than-life garbage collector and amateur photographer discovered a new species of spider at a free film screening of Maratus on Saturday 4th June 12-3pm at Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, in celebration of World Environment Day.

This captivating film follows Stuart Harris, an amateur photographer from Canberra, as he takes a chance photo of a vibrantly coloured jumping spider and posts it online. It turns out the spider had never been recorded before, sparking global attention, including that of Sydney-based jumping spider expert and scientist Dr Jurgen Otto.

The film then follows the fascinating and often hilarious journey of these two men - one who is colour-blind and the other who is scared of spiders - over three years in their quest to find the colourful 5mm Peacock Spider again.

Office of Environment and Heritage, Community Engagement Project Officer Liz Crane said Peacock Spiders are miniature jumping spiders with large eyes, distinctive vibrant colours and even more unique dancing and mating displays.

"This is a truly heart-warming story not only because Stuart and Jurgen are the most unlikely pair you can imagine taking on this quest together, but also because it demonstrates that there is still so much about the world we don't know and are yet to discover," Ms Crane said.

"Stuart's chance sighting of this undiscovered Peacock Spider species is also the perfect example of how everyday citizens are making amazing scientific discoveries around the world.

"Citizen science is a growing pastime with around 130,000 Australians now contributing valuable data to over 90 projects."

Both the amateur photographer Stuart Harris and the film's director Simon Cunich will attend the screening and will run a short Q&A about the film after the screening.

The audience will also be invited into the world of threatened species, specific to the Cessnock region, with a presentation by Paul Hillier, Regional Biodiversity Conservation Officer, Regional Operations Group (Hunter Central Coast) at the Office of Environment and Heritage.

This free screening has been made possible by the NSW Government Saving our Species program which aims to secure, in the wild, almost a thousand animals and plants currently threatened with extinction in NSW.

Light refreshments will be available after the Q&A session. Booking is highly recommended to secure your seats for this free screening visit: https://cessnock-peacock-spider-film.eventbrite.ie

Event details

Timing: Saturday 4th June, 2016 (12-3pm).

Where: Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, 198 Vincent Street, Cessnock.

Note: Parents and guardians are advised there is some coarse language in the film.

Contact: Public Affairs