People

WildBear Entertainment has announced the untimely death of Bettina (Tina) Dalton, the trailblazing, talented and multi-award-winning filmmaker and long-time colleague. A highly respected filmmaker, particularly in natural history, Dalton was Emmy-nominated and Sundance-selected, with a career spanning more than 30 years.
Her feature documentary credits include Every Little Thing, Playing with Sharks and Rachel’s Farm. Playing with Sharks was selected for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive numerous awards internationally. Her television work included Boss Croc, King Kangaroo and Dolphin Dynasty for National Geographic, Australia’s Hidden Islands for Love Nature, and Bushfire Animal Rescue for ADF/Arte, ZDFE, PBS Nature and SBS Australia.

In Australia, Dalton will be remembered as a pioneer for women working in natural history filmmaking. Internationally, she was known for bringing uniquely Australian stories to audiences around the world and exploring humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Her legacy also includes her early advocacy for integrating impact campaigns into documentary filmmaking.

Michael Tear, CEO of WildBear Entertainment and a longtime friend and colleague of Dalton, said: “The world of natural history filmmaking has lost one of its brightest stars and strongest advocates. Everything that Tina did shone an important light on a different aspect of the world around us, with her passion for social and environmental issues in particular helping to promote greater understanding. Our collective knowledge base about the planet is so much richer because of her work. Clever, creative, visionary and great fun, Tina was a supportive and inspirational colleague who played a major part in putting WildBear Entertainment on the map. She will be sorely missed by our team, as well as by the extensive international network that she had fostered throughout the industry. But she was also so much more than a colleague and co-principal of the business; she was a dear friend and will leave an unfillable gap in my life. My thoughts are now with her daughters and wider family.”

Producer/director Sally Aitken, who worked extensively with Dalton, said: “Bettina Dalton was a woman of extraordinary passion, grace, integrity, and curiosity with an unshakeable belief that things would always work out, that cats are actually Jedi masters, and in the possibility of a good story to change things. For Tina, life was in motion. She was a fierce booster of women, a champion of the natural world, and a dynamic producer who could turn conviction and gut instinct into action. What began as a creative partnership became a deep friendship, as the stars aligned when we made Playing with Sharks and Every Little Thing together, incredible experiences and films that travelled the world, touching hearts and minds. Tina wholeheartedly believed in me as a director and taught me so much about living your values through your work. I will always be grateful for that. We had so many stories yet to make. Today, I am profoundly sad knowing all those she leaves behind and how much she loved life. I’m also sitting with appreciation for her can-do spirit, her great friendship and the generosity with which she shared her remarkable energy. It was a glorious Sydney sunny day when I heard the news, and I found myself thinking of Tina as pure energy and light — like the hummingbirds she loved, glimmering in the sun, magical messengers of the mystery and wonder of the wild. Thank you, Tina.”

Fred Kaufman, Executive Producer, Nature, said: “This is such a loss. Bettina was one of my favourite people. She was smart, sharp and talented and her films represented the very best of PBS Nature. I will miss her grace.”