They Measured Our Heads (documentary-in-progress)
A mysterious kidnapping, coercion and colonialism. Filmmaker and anthropologist Pegi Vail joins Marie Coyne and other islanders, along with Irish anthropologist Ciarán Walsh in a fight to reclaim the skulls of their ancestors stolen by a well known British anthropologist and locked away in the vaults of Trinity College Dublin for over 130 years. The first case of its kind in the history of Ireland. When will they return home?
Directed by Pegi Vail. Produced by Melvin Estrella, Megan O’Neill, and Pegi Vail. Executive Producer Aideen Kane. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support production on the film via this link through our fiscal sponsor, The Center for Independent Documentary.
Press: The Guardian (Dec) / The Guardian (Feb) / Irish Echo
Shadow of Nanook (documentary-in-progress)
Through the eyes of Nanook of the North director Robert Flaherty’s unacknowledged granddaughter Martha Flaherty, Shadow of Nanook explores the darker side of the film’s legacy on the descendants the filmmaker left behind on his road to fame. The documentary revisits the frozen High Arctic where Martha’s family was forced into a traumatic exile by the Canadian government, serving as ‘human flags’ to demonstrate Canada’s sovereignty during the Cold War. Now 72, Martha seeks justice for her Inuit family’s exile and passes on the torch of Indigenous activism to her daughter, Alyssa and son Christian.
Directed by Jim Compton and Peadar King. Produced by Peadar King, Pegi Vail and Melvin Estrella. A Ford Foundation JustFilms grant recipient. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support production on the film via this link through the film’s fiscal sponsor, The Center for Independent Documentary.
Gringo Trails
Zebra Films
(79 min/52 min) 2014
Is tourism destroying the world–or saving it? From the Bolivian jungle to the party beaches of Thailand, and from the deserts of Timbuktu, Mali to the breathtaking beauty of Bhutan, GRINGO TRAILS shows the unanticipated impact of tourism on cultures, economies, and the environment, tracing some stories over 30 years. See the trailer
Available in North America on DVD or to rent @ ICARUS FILMS, AMAZON, iTUNES, YOUTUBE, GOOGLE PLAY, VUDU, KANOPY, DOCUSEEK
Available internationally to rent on VIMEO VIDEO ON DEMAND (VOD).
For educational and public screenings or broadcast in North America: contact Icarus Films. For educational and public screenings or broadcast internationally: contact Andana Films
The Dodgers Sym-Phony (1998, 28 min., PBS/WNET) features the history the legendary all-volunteer band of fans who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from the 1930’s-50’s and continued to entertain audiences at events throughout New York City long after the Dodgers left for Los Angeles. Two members of the band, legends themselves in Williamsburg, Brooklyn were the director’s next-door neighbors. View the film on City Lore’s youtube channel.