Bridging Fragments Wins Portrait of an Organization at MY HERO's Film Festival

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JEANNE MEYERS
Co-founder/Director
The MY HERO Project
[email protected] 

One of the sloths being tracked by The Sloth Conservation Foundation for research clings to a tree.Sonny DePasquale, with permission

Bridging Fragments, a short documentary directed by Sonny DePasquale, has won first place in the Portrait of an Organization category at the MY HERO 20^th Annual International Film Festival. The film details the work of one of the world’s leading experts on sloth ecology and biology, Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, and her non-profit organization, The Sloth Conservation Foundation (SloCo).

The film’s director and producer Sonny DePasquale made the film under his own organization Emergent Productions, a non-profit dedicated to creating media to highlight the individuals and organizations working on various conservation issues. DePasquale came across SloCo whilst researching organizations based in Costa Rica as, with the increasing tourism and urban development happening there, he knew he wanted Emergent Productions’ next film to be based there. As sloths are beloved by so many people, DePasquale hopes that making SloCo the subject of his latest project will spark a wider interest in conservation. He told The MY HERO Project:

Sloths are a wonderful mascot for rainforests because people seem to have an affinity and love for them, which makes them a great flagship species. If people care enough to protect sloths, then they will, in turn, be protecting the rainforest for other creatures they may not be familiar with or share the same love for.

DePasquale also particularly wanted to highlight forest fragmentation, which is when large areas of forest become separated into smaller sections due to various causes including urbanization, agriculture, or wildfires.[1] Forest fragmentation can have devastating effects on the area’s wildlife. Sloths, for instance, use tree branches to move around safely; without them, sloths have to resort to crawling across the ground, leaving them exposed to threats.

Sonny DePasquale, with permissionA sloth climbs through the trees.

An aspect of SloCo’s work that DePasquale felt was particularly important to showcase was their community-driven conservation. As well as trying to preserve sloths’ natural habitat, SloCo work hard to implement sustainable strategies which enable sloths to thrive within increasingly urban landscapes. This is particularly important as it not only ensures the survival of sloths in the area but allows the local communities to continue to develop and earn a living from their land.

When asked what most inspired him about SloCo and their work, DePasquale explained that he was “most inspired by their dedication to the mission,” adding, “It’s a very physically demanding job to protect wildlife and habitats, so it always impresses me to see the drive and passion conservation heroes have.” When MY HERO asked about the high points and challenges they faced in creating Bridging Fragments, DePasquale said:

Making this film was such a wonderful adventure. I got to learn from so many people and see such a beautiful location with amazing animals. I think a challenge with conservation and wildlife filmmaking is always the uncertainty of not getting the shots you envisioned because you have to accept what you’re able to capture in that moment. But that challenge and anticipation is what makes the high point of finding the animal so grand. Finding Mango the sloth while filming with the team was definitely the high point during this shoot, especially since we got to get up close while they did their assessments.

Sonny DePasquale, with permissionSonny DePasquale films members of SloCo working with a sloth.

On whom his personal hero is, DePasquale said:

I think my personal hero would be Steve Irwin. As a young kid, he captivated audiences on the television and I was enamored by him. But the reason why he is a hero is because he communicated about the animals in a different way. In the past, animals that he was presenting like crocodiles or snakes might have been referred to as “beasts” or “monsters,” but Steve Irwin used words like “beautiful” and “remarkable,” which I think shows a lot of power in our words when communicating about these creatures we want people to protect rather than fear.

You can watch Bridging Fragments here.

Sonny DePasquale, with permissionDirector and Producer Sonny DePasquale (center) and Assistant Producer Kathleen Lanning (second from left) pose with Dr. Rebecca Cliffe (center) and other SloCo employees.

About The Sloth Conservation Foundation

The Sloth Conservation Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Costa Rica, dedicated to the protection and preservation of sloths and the ecosystems on which they depend. SloCo was founded in 2017 by British zoologist and conservationist Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, after her extensive PhD research into sloth ecology led her to uncover the numerous issues that threaten the lives of sloths in the wild.[2] As sloths are faced with increasing threats due to issues like habitat destruction and climate change, SloCo focus on research, education, and community-driven conservation to ensure that sloths can not only survive but thrive in their natural habitat as well as increasingly urban areas.

Explore The Sloth Conservation Foundation website here.

About Emergent Productions

Emergent Productions is a Florida-based non-profit organization using digital storytelling to promote conservation and highlight the individuals and organizations working to protect the environment. The company is named after the highest layer of the rainforest, ‘the emergent layer,’ symbolizing the conservation heroes watching over us. So far Emergent Productions has featured several organizations including The Sloth Conservation Foundation, The Bee Conservancy, the Florida Oceanographic Society, the Pollinator Conservation Association, and The Battery Conservancy.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Emergent Productions rely on fundraising and donations to create conservation films like Bridging Fragments. Founder Sonny DePasquale told MY HERO:

This wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations from our supporters. […] We are extremely grateful to the people who see value in the conservation storytelling and the work that we do.

Donations can be made at emergentproductions.org/donate.

Learn more about Emergent Productions and watch their other films here.

About the MY HERO International Film Festival:

The My Hero Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing films that celebrate the power of the human spirit. The festival provides a platform for filmmakers to share inspirational stories of everyday heroes. Thanks to generous sponsors, prizes are awarded to elementary, middle school, high school, college and professionals in a variety of categories including documentary, narrative, music video, animation, experimental, and more.

The festival aims to inspire audiences to recognize the heroism in their own lives and encourage positive actions in their communities. Learn more.

Join us in celebrating 20 years of The MY HERO International Film Festival on November 16, 6pm @ the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica, California. Find out more HERE.

[1] Kogut, Peter. Forest Fragmentation: Far-Reaching Effects and Remedies. [Online] Available https://eos.com/blog/forest-fragmentation/. 2023.

[2] https://slothconservation.org/about-sloco/sloco-overview/