Overland

Director Statement

Six years ago, when Revere and I began making this film, the world was a different place. I didn’t know that over the course of our production the act of telling a global story would start to feel political. I wasn’t considering the fragility of our relationships across borders and I couldn’t have imagined the degree of pessimism and division that would come to riddle us. But from the outset I knew that we could craft a film around a passion for birds of prey that shined a light on our shared humanity, and I suspected that in the 6000 year-old tradition of falconry, and the code of ethics that surround it, there would be universal human themes to uncover. The fears that bubble to the surface in Overland echo all around us - we are living in an era where nature is disappearing, the virtual world is overtaking the organic world, the food-chain is invisible, and as a result we’re becoming disconnected from the very primal instincts that make us human and allow us to survive.

When Lauren McGough, Giovanni Granati and Khalifa Bin Mujren agreed to allow us into their lives, they entrusted us with great responsibility to tell an honest story of their radical pursuits with vision and artistry. We decided to forego the on camera interview, in favor of often hours-long recorded conversations with each of them, which were then culled in the edit room until clear themes emerged. Family. Conservation. History and heritage. Life and death. Connectivity and distance. We trekked with our small-but-mighty crew up sand dunes, over great plains, through dense woods, and to the top of craggy mountains to capture their stories, to share their insights, and to document primal, elemental moments. As we spent time embedded with Lauren, Khalifa and Giovanni in the UAE, Azerbaijan, Italy, Scotland, the American Midwest and South Africa, I realized that much of what I admire about them is found in the careful balance of “modern reality” and “primal instinct” that they each achieve in their unique way. When they are in pursuit of what they love to do, it elevates all of us out of the quagmire; it allows for freedom of emotion and an experience of the natural world that we are losing. They force us to ask ourselves, “what is my falcon?”

It is my hope that after watching the film great debates erupt because the characters, themes and stories resonate on a deeply personal, individual level. We, the filmmakers, have done half of the job by making the film, but we are counting on the audience to do the other half by bringing their own perspective to bear as they watch. If we want to live in a better world it is urgent and essential to reinvigorate our connection with the wild - the mindset and the place - and to exchange stories that transcend nationality, race, gender and religion, and spark real dialog. Juxtaposed with the current rhetoric about building walls, debate over the sanctity of the environment, divisive politics, xenophobia and the profound effects of “nature deficit disorder,” Overland offers an alternative. It is hopeful, it is thoughtful, it is magical, it bucks convention, and it has room for a diversity of opinions - all wrapped up in a beautiful global adventure. I’m very proud of the film that Revere and I created, and I would love for it to contribute to the conservation of both species and land in fragile environments around the world.