Pelican Dreams

In Pelican Dreams, an intimate portrait of an iconic seabird species, filmmaker Judy Irving follows a wayward, starving California brown pelican from her “arrest” on the Golden Gate Bridge into care at a wildlife rehabilitation facility, and from there explores pelicans’ nesting grounds, Pacific coast migration, and survival challenges. The film is about wildness: How close can we get to a wild animal without taming or harming it? Why do we need wildness in our lives, and how can we protect it? Pelican Dreams stars “Gigi” (for Golden Gate) and “Morro” (a backyard pelican with an injured wing), as well as the wildlife professionals who care for them. Co-sponsored by Point Reyes Books, Black Mountain Circle, Point Reyes National Seashore Association, and Turtle Island Restoration Network.

Photo: White Pelicans Stroll in St. James Park, London. Stephen McLaren for Pelican Media

About Judy Irving:  Judy Irving is a Sundance and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker whose previous credits include The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Dark Circle, a feature documentary about the nuclear industry, and Out of the Way Café, an hour-long drama. She spent childhood summers on the North Fork of Long Island, and came to love birds thanks to her grandfather. Judy graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in psychology and worked as a freelance journalist in Montreal before hitchhiking across the continent and living on a handmade raft-house in British Columbia. Later, she received her masters in film and broadcasting from Stanford University.

About Black Mountain Circle: Black Mountain Circle (BMC) is a nonprofit in Point Reyes Station, CA, that explores the relationship between spirit, story, and place. BMC programs include author events, retreats, book groups, and writing workshops for youths and adults as well as the biennial Geography of Hope Conference and the literary journal, West Marin Review.

About Point Reyes National Seashore Association: Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) is a cooperating association of the National Park Service. It works in partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore and the public to preserve, restore, and maintain wildlife habitat, trails, and historic sites in the beautiful coastal park. Year-round environmental education programs help children and adults deepen their understanding of nature and inspire the next generation of park stewards.

About Turtle Island Restoration Network: Turtle Island and its suite of marine restoration programs work to protect endangered marine species, save critical ecosystems, improve consumer choices, encourage government action and inspire corporate responsibility. Watch a recent PSA on the California driftnet fishery.