DCEFF at LAFF: Flamingos
Co-presented by DCEFF and the AFI Silver as part of their Latin American Film Festival
This is a story about life — stubborn, fragile and fleeting — that began 66 million years ago, when a giant meteorite crashed in what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, wiping out the dinosaurs from existence. Millennia later, tens of thousands of Caribbean flamingos flock to the region for a grand display of courtship, turning the muddy banks into a vast maternity ward for the next generation. This incredible undertaking by phoenicopterus ruber to breed — building mud nests in a prominent flood zone, finding a mate among a horde of competitors, evading scores of hungry predators — was captured over a two-year period in partnership with the esteemed Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Humorous, offbeat narration by Mexican singer Julieta Venegas, an engrossing score by Bryce Dessner and breathtaking natural photography combine to create a singular wildlife documentary that will make you appreciate the hardy flamingo and the preciousness of life itself.
