Byrdcliffe Artist in Residency Open Studio 2011

Reading by Katherine Burger

Byrdcliffe Artist in Residency Open Studio 2011

Reading by Katherine Burger

El Perro del Hortelano

Feature Narrative

2010

98 mins

Winner of 5 international Film Festival Awards!

El Perro del Hortelano follows the story of a young Bora-Huitoto painter, Brus, as he discovers a unique path to helping his community resist the encroaching oil company that threatens the future of their ancestral lands in the Madre de Dios rainforest of Peru.

The Abolitionists

Feature Narrative

(In development)

The Abolitionists follows the courageous actions of three families who risked everything organizing the antislavery movement in America.  Though often referred to as radicals and terrorists, these American heros rejected social convention in service of idealism, fraternity, and freedom.

When A Tree Falls In Woodstock

Documentary

2011

15:98 mins

A tree has fallen and the only way pull it off the house is with four hands and some rope.  This documentary follows John Luther and his partner Greg as they demonstrate the subtle grace of teamwork, communication, and a little bit of gravity.

Durika Foundation

Documentary

2011

15:19 mins

(English version available)

Over the last 20 years the Durika foundation has built a fully self sufficient ecological community in the Talamanca mountains of Costa Rica.  We travel through this impressive community and learn just how they are able to protect 16,000 acres of forest, grow their own food, and maintain this harmonious lifestyle.

Lessons in Permaculture at Punta Mona

Documentary

2011

6:33 mins

At Punta Mona, Costa Rica Stephen Brooks and his wife Sarah Wu are creating a veritable garden of eden.  We travel through their 85 acres of jungle on the Caribbean sea where mangosteens blossom, medicines grow on trees, and fruits have the magical ability to change sour to sweet, and visa versa.  Here students come from all over the world to learn just how fun living off the land can be.

Lamas in Memory

Documentary

2010

21:04 mins

In Peru’s seja selva, the Lamas indigenous community practices an ancient ritual for the dead.  A three day memorial is held for a young man, and the whole community must partake in the ceremony.

“Let It Grow”

Music Video

2011

Written by Cayanna Fusco & Renzo Zanelli

Paintings by Brus Rubio Churay

Brus Rubio Churay is a painter from the Bora and Huitoto Nations located in the Amazon Rainforest of Pucaurquillo, Peru.  He has been painting professionally for nearly a decade and has become a leading figure among indigenous artists in Peru.  Now Brus is working to bring his knowledge and talents back to his community by founding the Brus Rubio Churay Art Center.  Here, students from the surrounding Bora and Huitoto communities will learn the foundations of traditional art, ancient cosmology, and self expression through creative arts. 

Environmental News, Future Edition

Short Comedy

2011

5:01 mins

Welcome to environmental news of the future.  Guess what?  The population is now 3 billion people, the tuna have returned to the sea, there is peace in the middle east, and women are celebrated for their integral contribution to saving the planet!

Animal Frack

PSA

2011

1:03 mins

What happens when you lease your farm to the Hydrofracking companies in NY State?  Find our what these goats have to say about it.

Motown Jam at the Byrdcliffe Barn

Live Performance

2011

9:34 mins

Ennis Smith sings motown with summer residents at the Byrdcliffe Barn.

Byrdcliffe Artist in Residency Open Studio

Live Reading

2011

3:09 mins

Katherine Burger reads a short story produced at the Byrdcliffe summer artists in residency program.

Puñuy Wambra

Narrative Short

2009

15:16 mins

An Andean porter is hired for a mountain climbing gig. He discovers that his clients are there to exploit the mountain for gold. The mining companies method: Melt the glacier to get to the gold. Luckily, the spirit of the porter’s ancestors guide him to action. Based on a real situation occurring in Chile & Peru. This Ecocide is committed by Barrick Gold Inc.

Turistas

Documentary

2009

9:20 mins

Filmed entirely by indigenous filmmakers in Peru’s Amazon, we get an intimate look at what it is like to perform one’s sacred rituals for paying tourists.  Is this cultural exchange or cultural exploitation?

“Mentira”

Music Video

2010

Written by Sabor y Control

Huitoto Traditional Stories

Narrative Short

2009

15:16 mins

The students of Selva Rica’s 2009 workshop took the cameras and asked their grandparents to tell them some traditional Huitoto stories.  Then then recreated these stories themselves and created short films depicting their meaning.

Environmental LItter Police, Puerto Viejo Squad

Short Comedy

2012

1:22 mins

Watch you back if you plan to litter on the beaches of Puerto Viejo.  The Environmental Litter Police are working undercover, and they’re prepared to take down any macho men.

Message to the World from the Naso Indigenous People in Panama

Documentary

3:14 mins

En Español

The Panamanian government has plans to build a massive hydroelectric plant within the Naso Indigenous Reserve.  The Naso partake in week long road blocks as we hear from one of the matriarchs of the community, Virginia, and her views on what will become of their culture if the project is allowed to move forward.

Thirst (Sed)

Created in 30mins at the Envision Festival Workshop

Short Comedy

2012

4:28 mins

Have you ever felt a thirst you could not quench? Do you really know the worth of your water?

Heroines

Adapted Poems by Claud Cahun

2012

10:38 mins

This short adaptation of Claud Cahun’s manuscript, Heroines, is a visual poem dedicated to the feminine and all it’s mythic forms.  We encounter Eve’s conundrum of brining happiness to her lover, Dehila’s taste for revenge, Beauty’s love of the beast, and Sappho’s inquiry into belonging and identity.

Jesus was an Environmentalist

Documentary

8:09 mins

A talk with Father Michael in Glendalough Ireland about the intersection of Christianity and Environmentalism.  Journey through St. Kevin’s ancient hermitage as we explore the spiritual root of nature and community for the Christian faith in Ireland.