Alan Root (12 May 1937, London – 26 August 2017) was a British-born filmmaker who worked on nature documentary series such as ''

Survival Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...

''. Until 1990 he was married to

Joan Root Joan Root (18 January 1936 – 13 January 2006) was a Kenyan conservationist, ecological activist and Oscar-nominated filmmaker. With her film-maker husband, Alan Root she made a series of acclaimed wildlife films. The couple divorced in 1981 and ...

, who was a

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

n-born conservationist, murdered at Lake Naivasha in 2006. The couple had produced ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' articles together from 1963 to 1971 on animals, Galapagos Islands, and mainly African wildlife. Notable films include: ''The Year of the Wildebeest'' (1974), ''Safari by Balloon'' (1975), ''Mysterious Castles of Clay'' (1978), ''Two in the Bush'' (1980) and ''A Season in the Sun'' (1983). Alan Root's strong narrative style characterised much of ''Survival’s'' output and helped shape a sophisticated genre known as Blue Chip films. '' The Year of the Wildebeest'' was the epic story of the thundering migration of

wildebeest Wildebeest ( , , ), also called gnu ( or ), are antelopes of the genus ''Connochaetes'' and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toe ...

herds across the plains of the

Serengeti The Serengeti ( ) ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa, spanning northern Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game reserves. The Serengeti ...

. '' Mysterious Castles of Clay'', by contrast, showed wildlife in intricate detail in and around

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

mounds, revealing the insects' highly organised society and skills of construction. It received a nomination for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. The Roots used a hot-air balloon to film sequences for the wildebeest film, and in ''Safari by Balloon'' made the first hot-air balloon flight over

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...

. ''Two in the Bush'' (re-titled ''Lights, Action, Africa!'' in the USA) included "Mysterious Castles Clay" footage of a

spitting cobra A spitting cobra is any of several species of cobras that can defensively spray a toxic secretion - functioning as both a venom (that can be injected via a wound) and a toxungen (that can be sprayed on the target surface) - from their fangs in ...

directing its venom at Joan's face positioned just a few feet from the snake while Alan filmed. ''A Season in the Sun'', an account of wildlife's struggle to survive the heat and drought of the dry season, won an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

after it was aired by PBS in 1987. Alan and Joan Root were responsible for many of ''Survival's'' most successful films for almost 20 years from the mid-1960s. After their partnership ended, Alan Root continued his association with ''Survival'' as a cinematographer, producing his own films and guiding the early African work of camera team Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone, while latterly also acting as adviser to the series.

Death

In March 2017, Root was diagnosed with

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...

. He died on 26 August 2017, aged 80, in

Nanyuki Nanyuki is a Market town in Laikipia County of Kenya lying northwest of Mount Kenya along the A2 road and at the terminus of the branch railway from Nairobi. The name is derived from Enyaanyukie Maasai word for resemblance. It is situated just ...

, Kenya, following a holiday with his wife, Fran Michelmore, and two sons to

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, US.

References

External links

* 2017 deaths 1937 births Film people from London British documentary filmmakers British expatriates in Kenya Deaths from brain cancer in Kenya Deaths from glioblastoma {{UK-film-director-stub