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Based on a widely republished New Yorker essay by best-selling novelist Jonathan Franzen, Emptying the Skies (directed by Douglass Kass and Roger Kass) exposes the rampant poaching of migratory songbirds in southern Europe. Songbird populations have been drastically declining for several decades, with a number of species facing imminent extinction. This poignant documentary explores the wonder of these tiny globe-trekking marvels, millions of which are unlawfully slaughtered each year for large sums on the black market, and follows the intrepid squad of pan-European bird-lovers waging a secret war against poachers, disrupting illegal trapping to free as many as possible.
Embedding the filmmakers with their activist subjects, this year-long undertaking transports viewers right onto the front lines as poachers are confronted at critical migration pinch-points in Cyprus, France and Italy. A moving call to arms, Emptying the Skies chronicles a devastating environmental tragedy and the valiant journey of those risking their lives to stop it.
Original Release
06/15/2013
US Release
04/22/2015
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Peter Berthold | Self |
| Sergio Coen Tanugi | Self |
| David Conlin | Self |
| Martin Hellicar | Self |
| Alex Heyd | Self |
| Axel Hirschfeld | Self |
| Piero Liberati | Self |
| Andrea Rutigliano | Self |
| Jonathan Franzen | Self |
Directors
Writers
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Peter Berthold | Self |
| Sergio Coen Tanugi | Self |
| David Conlin | Self |
| Martin Hellicar | Self |
| Alex Heyd | Self |
| Axel Hirschfeld | Self |
| Piero Liberati | Self |
| Andrea Rutigliano | Self |
| Jonathan Franzen | Self |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Jonathan Franzen | Executive Producer |
| John Kleinheinz | Executive Producer |
| Andrea van Beuren | Executive Producer |
| Roger Kass | Producer |
| Nicholas Bienstock | Producer |
| Andrew Fink | Producer |
| Leah Welsh | Producer |
Editors
