Emptying the Skies (2015)

Plot

Dining in Cyprus often means indulging in ambelopoulia, a sought-after songbird, rather than traditional delicacies like caviar. This compelling documentary unveils the shocking reality of the illegal slaughter of millions of migratory birds annually. Novelist Jonathan Franzen, a passionate bird advocate, joins young activists from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter on perilous missions to save these creatures. With minimal police protection in Southern Europe, they face dangerous encounters with poachers. The issue ignites cultural tensions, as local landowners resist outside influence on their practices, highlighting a complex clash of tradition and conservation.