2023 Land Trust Learning Series
This event will be held live at the Barrington Public Library.
Join us for Day One of our Film Festival featuring the works of award-winning environmental documentary filmmaker Daniel Byers of Skyship Films.
Daniel Byers has travelled to some of the most remote places on earth to film stories of Indigenous Peoples and their struggles to preserve their native lands, way of life, and the species with whom they share these natural places.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 6:30 p.m. Daniel will present three of his short environmental documentaries and share his experience as a filmmaker seeking to capture important stories in extreme conditions.
Aguilocho: Dance of the Harpy Eagle (30 minutes)
In the remote Darién Gap, the Emberá tribe of Playa Muerto find an unlikely ally in protecting their rainforest when a rare Harpy Eagle nest is discovered near their community. “Aguilucho” Premiered at the 2021 DC Environmental Film Festival and is playing in festivals worldwide.
Then, Now and Forever: Zuni in the Grand Canyon (28 Minutes)
Throughout their history, the A:shiwi people have made a pilgrimage through the Grand Canyon to leave offerings at traditional sites, gather materials for their cultural practices, and visit the place where their ancestors first emerged from the four Underworlds and into the light of day. Follow the A:shiwi rain priests and medicine men as this sacred migration down the Colorado river is documented on film for the first time – from the pueblo at Halona Idiwana’a to shrines and ancient settlements, through canyon walls carved by the petroglyphs of the ancestors. Zuni in the Grand Canyon Premiered at the DC Environmental Film Festival in 2018. It received the Best Language Preservation Film Award from the Gallup Film Festival.
Paradise in Peril: An Expedition to the Río Platáno Biosphere (30 minutes)
The Río Platáno Biosphere Reserve, Honduras – home to the highest level of tropical biodiversity in Central America, homeland of the Pech and Miskito Indians, and keeper of hundreds of unexplored archeological sites – is in danger. Non-indians are invading the Reserve from all sides, poaching endangered wildlife and fish, slashing and burning ancient forests to sow pastures, and forcing indigenous inhabitants off their ancestral lands. Paradise in Peril follows an expedition organized to document the destruction of this UNESCO World Heritage Site and collect testimony from the native peoples who rely on the Río Platáno for survival.
About Daniel Byers
Daniel Byers is an award-winning environmental filmmaker. From tracking snow leopards in war-torn Afghanistan to bike-trekking a thousand miles in the tracks of a wolf, he’s an expert hand at expedition logistics and inspired storytelling on land, sea, and air. His company, SkyShip Films, specializes in telling stories within extreme environments: “Inspired by the world, we in turn seek to inspire – pushing ourselves and our craft to be worthy of it. To explore the cutting edge but protect the ancient earth. To fight for that most fragile, honor diverse voices, and make every project something we’re proud to call our own.”
This event would not be possible without our sponsors. For information on how you can sponsor the 2023 Land Trust Learning Series, email Cindy Elder or call 508-733-2443. Thank you!
2023 Learning Series Presenting Sponsor
Leadership Sponsors
The Cicione Family and Brickyard Wine
Partner Sponsor
Community Sponsors
East Bay Oyster Bar
Steve Primiano’s Custom Window Treatments
Charles E. Millard, Inc. General Contractors
We are grateful to the Barrington Pubic Library for hosting this event
