Chatham Community Library will host a virtual film screening of Between Earth & Sky (2023) beginning Thursday, September 17, and continuing through Thursday, September 24, 2026.

 Nalini Nadkarni is a world-renowned forest ecologist and science communicator. She pioneered the study of rainforest canopies as well as the means of reaching them by adapting the techniques of mountain climbing. Her goal was to discover how there could be such an abundance and variety of plant life in the canopy despite the forest's nutrient poor soil. She also wanted to study "what grows back" after an ecological disturbance.

In 2015, her rope snapped on a research climb, and she fell fifty feet from a tree and nearly died. After making a miraculous recovery, Nalini begins to explore a new research subject - herself. She unearths the roots of other disturbances she faced throughout her life, as the daughter of mixed Indian-Jewish immigrant parents who prized high achievement and contribution above all else. She confronts echoes of trauma across three generations of her family tree, and plants new seeds with her children.

Between Earth & Sky follows Nalini as she prepares for another research climb in Monteverde, Costa Rica, before considering retirement from the field. As a child, trees provided a place of solace and safety to Nalini, so much so that she swore an oath to protect them.

Film Highlights and Awards:

• 2024 Academy Awards Shortlist - Best Documentary Short Winner
• Best Doc Short - Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, & The Gold List
• Nominated for two Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Cinema Eye Honors, and Shortlisted for the IDA Awards

A password is required at the time of viewing.  

Please contact social.library@chathamlibraries.org to request the password or for additional information.

This program is free and open to the public.