CONCENTRIC MEDIA

The Work of DOROTHY FADIMAN

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Butterfly Town, USA

 

To download Butterfy Town, USA, click here

Full-length film (26 mins. 48 secs.) Vimeo Link
Full-length Film with Spanish subtitles (27 mins. 10 secs.) Vimeo Link
Trailer (1:13)
Full script for Butterfly Town, USA pdf or Word doc
Spanish script for Butterfly Town, USA pdf or Word doc
Click here to download Butterfly Town, USA
Website: ButterflyTownUSA.org
Spanish Webpage for Butterfly Town, USA

Dorothy's Making of

I met Bob Pacelli when we were both making independent films in the early 1980's. He was always interested in creating new ways of looking at stories. The range of his film work includes being a Video Production Officer for the United Nations during the Balkan Wars. When he moved to Pacific Grove, Bob turned his attention toward filming the Monarch Butterflies in the Sanctuary, an urban preserve located near the City Center. He became actively involved in community affairs when citizens began to disagree with members of the Pacific Grove City Staff about maintenance and care of the Sanctuary. The film follows Bob's effort to plant new trees to fill in large gaps in the canopy, created when tree branches had been cut as a result of City Staff recommendations. Those openings allowed the wind to blow through, damaging the Monarchs' habitat. Bob attracted other residents to join him in this effort to replant the Sanctuary.

Credits

Producer/Writer/Director: Dorothy Fadiman
Producer/Writer/Editor: Marlo McKenzie
Videographer: Marlo McKenzie
Monarch Butterfly Footage: Robert Pacelli
Assistant Editor: Laura Wigod
Production Assistant/Research: Dixie Lopez

Articles

Monterey County Weekly

InMenlo Magazine
March 26, 2015

Awards

Santa Cruz Film Festival, 2016

Synopsis

Butterfly Town, USA follows a community of activists living in Pacific Grove, who are working together to restore the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. The heart of this film is the story of one activist, Bob Pacelli, who is leading the effort to restore the Sanctuary. In this film we see intimate portraits of people who are planting new trees by hand, watering them by hand, going to City Council meetings to explain their intentions and holding meetings in the Sanctuary itself to decide how to best bring attention to the problems faced by this community. Disagreements about how best to take care of this beautiful sanctuary are relevant to a global debate as citizens worldwide unite to fight butterfly habitat loss due to climate change, deforestation and pesticides. With a focus on habitat fragility, we see that change happens -
one person, one community at a time.
Well-known butterfly ecologist Lincoln Brower adds his perspective throughout the film, as the citizens of Pacific Grove show both courage and compassion with their commitment.

Premiere
April 2, 2015
Lucie Stern Community Center

Monarch Film Festival
December 10th and 11th, 2014
Cinema Art Lighthouse Theater