InScience Film Festival

InScience advises: Grutto! De reis van onze nationale vogel

This impressive nature documentary takes us on a journey to Senegal, Portugal, Estonia and the Netherlands: all places where people and birds fight for survival. The complex ecology of humans and animals is impressively portrayed in this film, which can now be seen at LUX.

The black-tailed godwit is our national bird, but is rapidly disappearing from our Dutch meadows. Since the 1960s, the black-tailed godwit population has decreased by almost 70%. This shocking fact mirrors the changes in our agricultural system, as can be seen in this intimate documentary by Ruben Smit – who previously won a Golden Calf with De Nieuwe Wildernis.

The Netherlands is the nursery of the black-tailed godwit: no less than three quarters of the world population settles in our cold little country to provide for offspring. There are many dangers involved, ranging from hunting birds of prey to mowing machines and driving rain. Although the black-tailed godwit has enormous capacity for adapting to new circumstances, it is now being asked the utmost in order to survive: the changes in our agricultural system and the climate crisis are putting a heavy burden on the survival of the black-tailed godwit. Fortunately, there are farmers who go the extra mile to help this bird, as we can see in this documentary.

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