FLIGHT PATH (in production)

in production for 2027 release

directed by John Helde
director of photography Andrew Burton
sound recordist Dave Richards

For over 30 years, the Marbled Murrelet and the Northern Spotted Owl have been lightning rods in the conflict between conservationists and the timber industry over the fate of old-growth Pacific Northwest forests.

Today, despite the ambitious 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, scientists still struggle to turn the tide and reverse these iconic species’ endangered status as they perch on the edge of extinction.

FLIGHT PATH follows the people behind this story. The film dives into the work of scientists and activists who track populations with cutting-edge techniques, document nesting birds, fight against predators, negotiate land deals, and educate the public — all in hopes of protecting the last swaths of crucial old- growth habitat from destruction. But real progress is challenging. What do the stories of the Murrelet and the Spotted Owl tell us about the world we live in right now and about the challenges all species, including homo sapiens, face to survive?

Employing beautiful cinematography and a cinematic style, the film takes viewers behind the scenes of the science and into stunning old-growth habitat as it explores the meaning of extinction and the future of our planet in the twenty-first century.