A Paradise Lost
in production
animated/live-action documentary
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A PARADISE LOST is an animated/live-action documentary about how a little Hawaiian bird in 1979 successfully sued the State of Hawai‘i to save its kind, but is still on the verge of extinction. A stuffed Palila, an endangered yellow finch found only on Mauna Kea volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, tells the story of Palila v. Hawaii, the landmark court case which protected critical habitat for endangered species. Palila’s future dangles in the balance as a native Hawaiian man strives to restore native forest lost to climate change, cattle ranching and sheep grazing, while a sheep hunter laments the losing of his connection to nature and the land.