Jeff Canin - Producer

Jeff Canin grew up in apartheid South Africa. The pervasive sense of injustice instilled in him a strong desire to “flail against the windmills of the world”. Once he left South Africa at the age of 20, his focus gradually shifted from political to environmental issues. By 24, he had completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science degree in London and fallen in love with sea turtles. Jeff's passion to save the species eventually led to a job in Greenpeace as the International Sea Turtle Campaigner. After 7 years, and numerous successes in sea turtle protection all over the world, Jeff formed a documentary company, Hatchling Productions, with his partner Cathy Henkel.

Hatchling Productions has produced a wide variety of conservation, educational and training videos. In 1998, they produced their first film for television, ‘Walking Through a Minefield', documenting the blockade of the Jabiluka uranium mine in Kadadu National Park. Four more films for television followed: ‘Losing Layla' (2002) captured the tragic death of a friend's newborn baby and the journey of grief. ‘The Man Who Stole My Mother's Face' (2004) explored sexual assault and its aftermath. ‘I told you I was ill: the life and legacy of Spike Milligan' (2005) looked at Spike's life and the effect of his mental illness on himself and his family. ‘The Burning Season' (2008) explores the contribution to climate change of the fires and deforestation in Indonesia and one potential mechanism for a solution: carbon trading.

In between films, Jeff has continued to do sea turtle work for Humane Society International, and carries out turtle research for the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency every year. He is passionate about wildlife conservation, folk music, photography and kayaking.