Céline S. Cousteau (born June 6, 1972) is a socio-environmental advocate and public figure. She is known for her work as a documentary film director, producer, explorer, artist, public speaker, brand ambassador and designer, and is a frequent panelist at the United Nations in New York. She is the Founder/Director of CauseCentric Productions and Co-founder/ Chairman of the Board of the Outdoor Film Fellowship. She is the daughter of ocean explorer and filmmaker

Jean-Michel Cousteau Jean-Michel Cousteau (born 6 May 1938) is a French oceanographic explorer, environmentalist, educator and film producer. The first son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, he is the father of Fabien Cousteau and Céline Cousteau. Life and care ...

, and granddaughter of

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...

Early years and personal life

Cousteau is the third generation of the Cousteau family of explorers. She was born in California to

, a documentary-filmmaker and environmental advocate, and Anne-Marie Cousteau, an expedition photographer. She is the sister of

Fabien Cousteau Fabien Cousteau (born 2 October 1967) is an aquanaut, ocean conservationist, and documentary filmmaker. As the first grandson of Jacques Cousteau, Fabien spent his early years aboard his grandfather's ships Calypso and Alcyone, and learned h ...

, an ocean explorer and shark advocate, and granddaughter of pioneering ocean explorer

. She grew up in their family homes in France and the United States. Cousteau spent much of her youth aboard her grandfather's research vessel the '' Calypso'' with her family. One of her first major expeditions on board was at age nine when she and her father and grandfather journeyed to the Amazon. There they spent 18 months navigating its coastal and jungle waters in areas that were still largely unknown to the outside world. This exploration also involved encounters with remote and un-contacted tribes. It was through this experience that Cousteau began to learn about the interconnectedness of not only the environment, but humanity. She has spent her life dedicated to understanding the human "tribe" and the relationships forged between individuals, communities and ecosystems; this has been the inspiration behind her films, artworks and activism. She has one son with her partner Çapkin van Alphen, an Australian cameraman.

Education

Cousteau attended the

Norfolk Academy Norfolk Academy (NA) is an independent co-educational day school in Norfolk, Virginia. Chartered in 1728, it is the oldest private school in Virginia and the eighth oldest school in the United States. In 1966, Norfolk Academy merged with Country D ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and the

United Nations International School The United Nations International School (UNIS) is a private international school in New York City, established in 1947. Many members of the United Nations staff arriving with young families found unexpected difficulties with New York's school sys ...

in New York City, and graduated from

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in one of more than 60 areas of study. History Sk ...

in 1994, where she majored in psychology and minored in studio art. She received her master's degree in International and Intercultural Management from the

School for International Training The School for International Training, widely known by its initials SIT, is a private non-profit regionally-accredited institution headquartered in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States. The institution has two main divisions. SIT Graduate Instit ...

Career

Cousteau is the founder and CEO of CauseCentric Productions. CauseCentric Productions produces and distributes multi-media content with an emphasis on short films to amplify the voices and communicate the stories of solution focused grassroots organizations and individuals working on environmental and socio-cultural issues. She is also the founder of the Outdoor Film Fellowship, formerly the Céline Cousteau Film Fellowship, a film fellowship program that equips young filmmakers, creatives, and activists to motivate change through storytelling. Most recently, Cousteau released her first feature documentary, ''Tribes on Edge'', in 2019. The film was the result of her return to the Amazon in 2011, where she went in search of the indigenous tribes she first contacted with her grandfather aboard the ''Calypso''. There she spent time with tribes of the

Vale do Javari Vale do Javari (English language: Javari Valley) is one of the largest indigenous territories in Brazil, encompassing 85,444.82 km 2 (32,990 mi 2) – an area larger than Austria. It is named after the Javari River, the most important ...

Brazilian Amazon Brazilian commonly refers to: * Something of, from or relating to Brazil * Brazilian Portuguese, the dialect of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil * Brazilians, the people (citizens) of Brazil, or of Brazilian descent Brazilian may also ...

whose existence has since become threatened by the modern world.

Art and fashion

* Spring/Summer 2016 - Ocean Mysteries Collection, Guest Designer for Swarovski * Fall/Winter 2016 - Tribute to Tribe Collection, Guest Designer for Swarovski * Fall 2017 - Regenerating the Reef Couture Collection, Associate Designer for Deborah Milner

Ambassadorships and associations

* International Spokeswoman, La Prairie skincare company (2007-2014) * Sustainability Partner, Contiki Holidays (2010-2014) * Advisory Council Member, Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation (2012) * Council Member on Global Agenda Council of Oceans, World Economic Forum, (2012-2016) * Ambassador, the TreadRight Foundation (2014–Present) * Ambassador, Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program (2015) * Advisory Board Members, Marine Construction Technologies (2015–2019) * Brand Ambassador, Keen Footwear (2016) * Advisory Board Member, the Himalayan Consensus (2017-2019) * Board of Directors, National Aquarium in Baltimore (2018–Present)

Filmography

References

External links

*
CauseCentric ProductionsThe Céline Cousteau Film Fellowship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cousteau, Celine Living people American expatriates in France Celine American people of French descent Skidmore College alumni American explorers People from Los Angeles County, California 1972 births SIT Graduate Institute alumni American documentary filmmakers People from Provence American environmentalists American women environmentalists French environmentalists French women environmentalists French documentary filmmakers Female explorers 21st-century explorers Artists from Norfolk, Virginia Activists from California American women documentary filmmakers French documentary film producers 21st-century American women