Short Films

Winter Eagles - a short film by Brian Rivera Uncapher

For centuries, the Bald Eagle has played a prominent role in the culture of the Tlingit people in Southeast Alaska. Together with the Raven, the Bald Eagle brings balance to the Tlingit social structure, and stories of these two moieties continue to this day to be passed along from parents to children. During early winter, the area near the Tlingit Village of Klukwan, Alaska hosts the largest concentration of Bald Eagles on Earth. The eagles gather to feast on an early winter Chum Salmon spawning run. Due to a geological condition under an alluvial fan where the Chilkat, Tsirku, and Klehini rivers meet, the water remains ice free, providing sustenance to the eagles which feed on the salmon and the trumpeter swans which feed on the salmon eggs during what is normally a very difficult season for wildlife. The event takes place against breathtaking and remote Alaskan landscapes during a season of unpredictable and occasionally severe weather which adds to the beauty of the land but also increases the complexity of the film endeavor.

For information on how to help protect this pristine Alaska ecosystem, please visit https://www.seacc.org/

ABOUT THE FILM

Filmed in stunning, immersive UHD 4k resolution, Cayo Vizcaíno transports the viewer deep into the nature and wildlife of Key Biscayne, Florida - an island that, despite its proximity to the mainland, has surprisingly retained much of its natural beauty ever since the Tequesta Indians from the Calusa Nation first hunted its shores over 2000 years ago.

Following a genre made popular by two filmmakers studying Audiovisual Media at the Stuttgart Media University in Germany (see https://vimeo.com/132602913), this short film has no narration, people, or dialogue - only nature speaks as it has done for millennia.

For news coverage on this film, see http://www.islandernews.com/news/cayo-vizca-no/article_fb986086-ae2c-11e9-a4f6-679a05166b61.html

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Brian Rivera Uncapher’s (www.BrianRiveraUncapher.com) work has been recognized by the Fine Art Photography Awards, the International Photography Awards, Landscape Photography Magazine as well as commented on by various other organizations, including the United Nation's Biodiversity Initiative, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, the Audubon Society, the American Bald Eagle Foundation, DIY Photography™, Photography Life™, and the Alaska Wilderness League. His cinematography has been included most recently in the 2019 nationally acclaimed documentary, Rock Paper Fish. He is a frequent contributor to magazines, trade journals, and industry blogs.

Alaska Bald Eagle Stills by Filmmaker | Photographer Brian Rivera Uncapher