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SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Aug. 14, 2025 –
'The Invisible Mammal,' a feature documentary produced and directed by Bay Area filmmaker Kristin Tièche, will have its first theatrical screening in the Bay Area on September 4, 2025, at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, Marin County. The film world-premiered in May at the 2025 DocLands Documentary Film Festival to a sold-out crowd, taking home the Audience Choice Award.
'The Invisible Mammal' tells the captivating story of a dedicated team of women scientists as they strive to protect North America's bats against a deadly disease rapidly spreading across the continent. The film, directed by San Francisco filmmaker Kristin Tièche and produced by Matthew Podolsky (Sea of Shadows), follows a team of women bat biologists into underground habitats as they work to save a rapidly disappearing species: the little brown bat. The film’s cast of women scientists include Chief Scientist of Bat Conservation International Dr. Winifred Frick, founder of NorCal Bats Corky Quirk of Davis, CA, and Dr. Alice Chung-MacCoubrey of the National Park Service.
Director Kristin Tièche turns her lens on the female scientists racing to save North American bats from extinction. The documentary follows Dr. Frick’s research on white-nose syndrome, a fungal pathogen that has caused catastrophic declines of bats over the past two decades across North America. Tièche is confident that viewers of her film will have a change of heart after seeing her film: “I think people don’t realize how amazing bats are because they may have never seen them in nature. Viewers might enter the theater with negative attitudes about bats, but once they see the film, they are transformed into bat advocates. The film’s message especially resonates with young people who are considering a career in science, so there’s also a lot of educational value.”
Initially, the filmmaking team behind 'The Invisible Mammal' set out to document efforts to prevent the extinction of bat species in North America, but when the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world in 2020, a shift in strategy was required. The scope of the film’s story was expanded to include the connection between bats and COVID, and how research on bats’ super-immunity could help prevent another global pandemic.
Beyond being a fascinating look at amazing women working on the frontline of extinction prevention, 'The Invisible Mammal' is a call to action for everyday people to get involved in ecological solutions. The film team has teamed up with Bat Conservation International to develop an impact campaign encouraging viewers to take several actions to help bats: from supporting the work of bat conservation scientists, to organizing local bat viewings and planting bat-friendly gardens.
Additional theatrical screenings will take place at movie theaters around the Bay Area in September and October. The film team is partnering with advocacy organizations to spread the word about the screenings, especially during International Bat Week in late October.
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Organizations Mentioned
Cast & Crew
Kristin Tièche (Director)
Matthew Podolsky (Producer)
Dr. Winifred Frick (Chief Scientist, Bat Conservation International)
Corky Quirk (Founder, NorCal Bats)
Dr. Alice Chung-MacCoubrey (National Park Service)
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