It’s Black Birders Week and just as the WORLD Channel (formerly PBS WORLD) is celebrating with a great documentary about one of the few African-American falconers, we have word that the woman at the center of the incident that inspired the holiday has sued her former employer over her termination. Last May 25th, on the same day that George Floyd was murdered, Amy Cooper called the police on Chris Cooper (no relation) in New York’s Central Park rather than put her dog on a leash as he requested. Black Birders Week was born to assert the rights of Black people to participate in outdoor exploration activities.

To celebrate this year’s Black Birder’s Week (May 30 through June 5), the WORLD Channel will present the broadcast premiere of The Falconer. The film follows master falconer Rodney Stotts on his mission to build a bird sanctuary and provide access to nature for his stressed community. Annie Kaempfer’s film brings viewers into the world of Stotts, a formerly incarcerated person who was saved by his work in conservation and who is working to reach the next generation. (And, yes, he’s been bothered by the police while working with/watching birds.)

The film airs on Tuesday on the documentary series America ReFramed and will stream on WORLDChannel.org.

The Falconer (broadcasting on WORLD Channel on Tuesday, June 1 and screening on worldchannel.org and the PBS app) One of only a handful of African American falconers in the country, Rodney Stotts is on a mission to build a bird sanctuary and provide access to nature for his stressed community. This is a story of second chances: for injured birds of prey, for an abandoned plot of land, for a group of teenagers who have dropped out of high school, and for Rodney himself.

Trailer: https://worldchannel.org/episode/america-reframed-the-falconer/
Screener: https://wgbh.cimediacloud.com/r/8lS5DVDYBCGK Password: thefalconer
Director, Producer and Cinematographer: Annie Kaempfer

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