From director Daniel Byers comes Aguilucho: Dance of the Harpy Eagle, an enlightening documentary resource reflecting on the resilience of Playa Muerto’s indigenous people and their relationship to the endangered bird they call the “aguilucho.” The Emberá tribe of the Darién Gap rainforest in Panamá proudly displays rich facets of their culture, many of which might be lost without the Harpy Eagle’s presence. This short educational film explains why that is.
Today, the threat of deforestation looms over the remote rainforest. Areas surrounding the Darién Gap have not been so fortunate to escape the danger, and have lost much of their culture and environs as a result. The Emberá people prevail, however, because of a recent discovery of a Harpy Eagle’s nest. This brings the tribe together, in addition to attracting tourists to the coastal village. Ecotourism takes the place of selling trees—but all of this depends on the Emberá protecting the vulnerable Harpy Eagles. For this educational film, several members of the tribe explain their symbiotic relationship with the aguiluchos and their passion for their cultural heritage.
Throughout the documentary, women and children can be seen bending from the waist, raising their arms like wings in the Dance of the Harpy Eagle. The reinforcement of this image serves as a beautiful demonstration of Emberá’s cultural practices that draw foreign interest; it compares in beauty to the scenes captured in nature: the wide landscape shots and close-ups of the rare eagles themselves. In addition to being an environmentally-concerned film, Aguilucho functions partly as a nature documentary with its short, educational clips of eagle behavior.
While inspiring in tone, Aguilucho: Dance of the Harpy Eagle doesn’t shy away from the pressing issues facing indigenous people in Panamá. The film offers a concise, yet informative exploration of the intersection between Harpy Eagles, tourism, and survival in the Darién Gap. Extremely illuminating for its brief running time, Aguilucho is highly recommended for media librarians looking to acquire enviornmental documentaries.
What can this educational documentary be used as a resource for?
Aguilucho would be a valuable resource for academic and public library collections, as well as high school and college classrooms.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
Aguilucho: Dance of the Harpy Eagle would be a great addition to world cinema and documentary film collections.
What subjects or college majors would benefit from the content covered in this film?
Anthropology and Environmental Science college majors could benefit from a short screening of Aguilucho, followed by a class discussion.