5Q's w/Tara Zabriskie "Defending the Dark" Director, Producer

QUESTION#1: Can you describe your film in one sentence?:

The story of saving the dark sky areas of Maine and what we can do in our backyards to reduce the harmful effects of light pollution.

QUESTION#2: What would you like the BSFF audience to know about your film that they wouldn't consider from it's title?:

Dark-Sky advocacy is more than just about protecting the night sky. Light pollution impacts humans, animals, nature, and science. By using dark-sky approved lighting we can improve safety, reduce health risks, make a healthier environment for important nocturnal wildlife including pollinators and mosquito-eating amphibians, and save the lives of countless migrating birds. Viewers of the film Defending the Dark will take away simple ways to make your backyard, and your town more dark-sky friendly.

QUESTION#3: Can you tell us about yourself and your filmmaking career?:

My first conservation film I made as a student for my Senior project in college. The film was about using Leave No Trace practices while hiking. My advisor encouraged me to reach out to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to see if this was something they could use. I did, and they used it in their visitor center for the next 8 years, they then asked me to make an updated version for a younger hipper YouTube type audience. I've made a living as a full-time freelance videographer and photographer taking on all types of projects that have taken me from Mexico to "Mars". I have filmed bicycle races across the country, sailing races in the Caribbean, and was part of a small crew filming a documentary for the National Park Service in remote locations of Alaska. When I took on the project, Defending the Dark, I felt that it brought together so many things I love: astronomy, photography, Maine, and environmental filmmaking. While I've been in film making and video production for nearly 20 years, this is the first film I've made of this size and scale as producer/director. I plan to continue making documentary films and have a few projects in pre-production.

QUESTION#4: What have you learned in the process of making your film?:

The hardest thing for me with any project is to get to the finish line. This project seemed to unfold in front of me, even when things got tough. I set some deadlines for myself, and stuck to a strict schedule, but more importantly I partnered with some great organizations who helped to pave the way to make this happen. They helped me every step of the way, from grant writing, to finding the right people to interview, to lining up screenings. I learned the best way to be successful in completing a film is to have the right partners who believe in you as a filmmaker and are willing to offer support throughout the whole process.

QUESTION#5: What's does the future hold for this film and you?:

Defending the Dark will be distributed by NETA to PBS stations across the country in April 2024. It will have a pre-release broadcast on Maine Public Television the last week of January. It will also be available on the PBS app starting in April 2024. We have been doing community screenings to engage audiences about the topic of light pollution, and have made it available for communities anyway to schedule their own screening on our website.

https://www.darkskyfilm.com/host-a-screening

My hope is to reach communities and classrooms everywhere to inspire people to take action and make dark-sky friendly lighting the norm in every town and city across the world.

@darkskyfilm #defendingthedark #darkskyfilm