This is the third of a series of reviews of movies showing at the New Haven Documentary Film Festival, or NHDocs, which runs May 30 through June 9 at the Whitney Humanities Center at Yale, the main branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, Cafe Nine, and the State House. Click here for a full schedule of screenings.
Animal activist and Compassion Kind founder Aja Nikiya directs Linchpins of Dead Dog Island, a documentary that highlights the women involved in animal rescue in Puerto Rico. It begins with her efforts to save 14 dogs and cats abandoned in a home after Hurricane Maria and grows into an ongoing mission to help other animals left in the aftermath of the storm alongside the five women — “the linchpins” — that she connects with through her initial rescue efforts. All of them end up working together to provide the shelter, care, and connections necessary to help these animals rehabilitate and find homes.
The passion, determination, and dedication of the women shine through in this film, each of them telling their own stories about how they ended up becoming involved in animal rescue and how their lives have been forever altered by their work. In addition to the plight of the animals, the devastation of the island itself as well as its people is documented. Challenges abound as Puerto Rico and its citizens continue to recover, but the energy and compassion of the women appears boundless. Their love for what they do along with the patience and kindness with which they do it will inspire you to not only consider the plight of these abandoned animals, but also the importance of both individual and group efforts to move beyond destruction and toward rebuilding and healing.
Kerry David writes, directs, and produces Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War, a visually stunning and viscerally stirring film that takes her and her crew to Africa and Asia to find the women risking their lives to combat the poaching crisis and illegal wildlife trade that is endangering animals native to the area, including rhinos, elephants, and pangolins. From those who are working out in the wild as the first line of defense to those who are working in hospitals and sanctuaries to care for and heal those creatures already injured or in need of nurturing, each woman has a profound story that highlights the commitment and sacrifices each one has made to be involved in the work, and the difficulties they have encountered in these positions by simply being women.
This documentary is a wake-up call to the world regarding these endangered species. There is a sense of urgency that builds throughout as you learn more about how the threat against these creatures and their possible extinction also directly affects all the other creatures of the land, as well as the very land itself. “Most people don’t act because they don’t know. You know now. What are you going to do?” Ultimately this is what is stated and asked by David and this film. The silence has been broken, but the story is far from over.
Linchpins of Dead Dog Island screens June 2 at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St. Breaking Their Silence screens June 3 at 8:30 p.m., also in the auditorium of Whitney Humanities Center.