Photo Credit: Janet Donovan
“Long before the ocean became an international issue, Jacques Cousteau, his family and his team were fantastic pilgrims,” said Patrick Lachaussée, Senior Counselor of the French Embassy, at the Residence of Gérard Araud, The Ambassador of France. “By exploring the oceans, Jacques Cousteau and his family brought our two nations closer together.”
The reception was preceded by The US premiere of the film L’Odyssée as part of the French-American Climate Talks on Ocean (FACT-O) at The Carnegie Institution for Science which included a discussion panel with marine biologist Dr. Rebecca Albright, Philippe Cousteau and Jan Cousteau. L’Odyssée (The Odyssey) follows Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the great French ocean-going adventurer, biologist, and filmmaker and stars Lambert Wilson, Pierre Niney, and Audrey Tautou. “He brought the marine world into homes across the globe—including my own—and helped people understand what made these ecosystems so special and worthy of protection,” said Carnegie President Matthew Scott at the start of the evening.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very, very proud to be here – very – because we have Jan and Philippe Cousteau and their family. As Diplomats, we make many speeches about the things that unite France and the United States. Tonight we are just a simple answer: Oceans. By exploring the oceans, Jacques Cousteau and his family brought our two nations closer together. The United States and France share common priorities for the ocean. With this film on Jacques Cousteau it is though we were known and recognized for his work in both France and the US. He was an outstanding representative of the French honorary kind of friendship. America adopted the Cousteau family. It is here without Jacques we all need to swim and wear the Cousteau family in our names. We are so pleased we have the partnership with the Carnegie Institution of Science,” Lachaussée added. “As you all know, Jan was married to Jacques’s son Philippe and we thank you so much for being here and carrying on the legacy of Jacques and Philippe. Together, we need to move forward. Walking on the Earth of the oceans is walking on the Earth of humanity.”
Patrick Lachaussée
Jan and Philippe Cousteau
“It’s a pleasure to be with all of you to celebrate what is a truly stunning, fantastic movie, L’Odyssée,” said Rep. Ed Royce. “Last week we had the opportunity to show this to the house of foreign affairs committee and it played t0 rave reviews there. It was a packed house and I think I can say that for those of us at international conservation quarters, this movie goes a long way in terms of promoting the ideals that we would like to see focused upon. ”
Rep. Ed Royce
“Jérome Salle is the writer, the director, the producer, spending five years on a film; now that is with a little bit of love,” added Royce. “He tells the full story of one of the world’s great, accomplished explorers. And I think that part of that was his collaboration with Jan Cousteau who, of course, is with us tonight. The story about her husband Philippe and the boys comes through Philippe‘s letters to Jan; it comes through the travel logs and not only to Antarctica, but across the world, across all the oceans in the world, written during Philippe’s worldwide explorations with his father. And, thereby, we get this first-hand account of the Cousteau’s explorations and their desire to promote conservation. And as the film shows, the Cousteau’s did not simply believe in conservation, they have the courage to fight for it and just days after French National Day, that’s fitting. The French and American republics are really bound together; and, by certain common ideals, it is the ideals of enlightenment, what we believe about human liberty, but it is also by the courage to fight for those ideals. In this time of rising global uncertainty, the alliance between the United States and France is as important as ever.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. Ed Royce, Marie Royce, Jan Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau & Ashlan Cousteau
Philippe is a frequent visitor to Washington, DC although he lives in California where he follows in the spirit of his father and grandfather. He is a multiple Emmy-nominated TV host and producer; author, speaker; and social entrepreneur. In 2007 Philippe co-hosted his first full length documentary with Steve Irwin called Ocean’s Deadliest.
“We were so pleased to see many of our friends and enjoyed celebrating our family at the discussion following the screening, where I was honored to share remarks. You may recall that one of the highlights I shared was the story of EarthEcho International’s founding in honor of my father Philippe Cousteau, Sr. It is his belief in, ‘a world where every single child can breathe fresh air, drink clean water, and walk on green grass under a blue sky,’ that serves as our organization’s vision to this day.”
“We hope you share that vision and are excited to learn more about EarthEcho International, where our mission is to inspire young people worldwide to act now for a sustainable future. Our programs are designed to equip new generations of leaders and problem solvers to identify and tackle environmental challenges in their own communities and beyond.”
Philippe collaborates frequently with his wife Ashlan. In 2016 they co-hosted Nuclear Sharks, the #1 show for Discovery’s Shark Week. In 2015 they co-hosted a three-part series with Takepart.com, exploring tiger and rhino conservation in Nepal called Treasures of the Terai. Their new series for The Travel Channel, Caribbean Pirate Treasure, will premier in August of 2017. It follows the Cousteau’s as they travel around the Caribbean exploring the rich and colorful mysteries and histories of pirates, explorers and adventurers.
