Firebird
Feature Documentary (2023)
We’ve been working on this feature documentary for the past two years. Now complete, we’re in the process of sharing the film with other eco communities around the world.
Director’s Statement
I have been connected to the Findhorn Ecovillage for many years, and in making this film, I've witnessed first-hand the despair and anguish the Community is facing at this time, but despite this, they are well aware that greater challenges are being faced by many people all over the world. My aim in making this documentary is that in sharing their story, the film will connect with others globally who are facing similar challenges of loss, and my hope is that 'Firebird' might just ignite a spark of encouragement and hope in their heart.
Firebird is now making its way around the globe via eco communities and has so far been shown in the Findhorn Community on three occasions, Auroville at Cinema Paradiso twice, Narara community in Australia on two occasions, and is to be shown at the world global village village network gathering in Sweden in August 2024. It has also been screened at three eco communities on the East Coast of America: Ithaca, Sirius and Twin Oaks.
The symbol of the Firebird is a significant as a title and metaphor in the documentary, as for me, it represents the element of fire and the transformative energies of love and hope.
Film Description
‘an eco community in the heat of crisis’
The Findhorn Ecovillage in The North of Scotland, one of the oldest ecological and spiritual communities in the world is preparing for its 60th anniversary under a cloud of growing uncertainty as the community struggles to navigate one crisis after another.
Over the past three years, the whole world has suffered from existential threats, affecting economic, social and emotional security, and the Findhorn Ecovillage community is no different. This feature documentary explores the sequence of pivotal events which has inflicted significant and detrimental blows to the ecovillage, impacting individuals and the community as a whole. However, despite this series of setbacks, the community is hanging in together in an effort to transform and restore negative situations into positive opportunities for the future.