Dark sky film series
Each year, new films emerge that showcase the importance of the night. Some are created by filmmakers exploring themes closely aligned with our mission, while others are produced by members of our own community to educate, inspire, and advocate for change.
As part of this year's conference, we're celebrating these stories through the DarkSky Film Series—a curated collection for you to enjoy. From breathtaking cinematography and compelling conservation stories to inspiring community action, these films highlight the many ways people around the world are connecting with and advocating for the nighttime environment.
Most of the films below are available to watch now. Saving the Night Caller will be released to registered conference attendees 48 hours before the event. Be sure to register to receive access to the film, along with conference updates and additional event content.
Have a film you'd like us to consider for this year's series? We'd love to hear from you. Please contact our Communications team at communications@darksky.org.
Saving the Night Caller by WorkCabin Films
The WorkCabin Films Original Documentary Saving The Night Caller is a hauntingly beautiful conservation documentary that follows filmmaker Gregg McLachlan deep into the forests of Norfolk County in southwestern Ontario to uncover the mysterious world of the Eastern Whip-poor-will, a bird whose call once echoed across the night, and is now slowly falling silent.
Through cinematic storytelling, emotional narration, and intimate moments with Birds Canada wildlife biologists and researchers from the University of Waterloo, this short film explores what it means to fight for a species most people never see, but will miss when it’s gone. This is more than a documentary. And it’s about more than just about the creature. It’s about the people, the passion, and the long, often sleepless hours spent in the field gathering crucial data. It’s a front-row seat to the grit and heart behind conservation science, helping viewers gain a deeper appreciation for the work it takes to ensure these species are still calling through the night for generations to come.
Produced in collaboration with Long Point Biosphere Region, this documentary project was undertaken with the financial support of Environmental and Climate Change Canada.
“To hear the haunting call of the Night Caller is to glimpse a world still wild and worth saving,” says filmmaker Gregg McLachlan. “This film is my invitation — for all of us — to protect the skies and the habitats that cradle the Eastern Whip-poor-will before their voices are lost to silence.”
Register to watch
Saving the Night Caller will be made available to Under One Sky participates 48 hours before the conference. Register today for conference updates and access.
London Lit
London Lit is a poetic exploration of the nocturnal city and an elegy for the diminishing urban darkness.
A short film by Kerem Asfuroglu
Website: https://www.dark-source.com/
Written & Performed by Sense Turner
Filmed by Steve Geliot & Pierre Niyongira
Edited & Directed by Pierre Niyongira
Produced by Kerem Asfuroglu
Life After Light
As the UK becomes increasingly urbanized, the country is being engulfed in light. Stargazing is becoming a forgotten art as our view of space becomes lessened. This film follows 3 people – an Archeoastronomer, an Astrophotographer and an Aurora Forecaster. Can their stories inspire us to reclaim our connection to the night sky? .
A short film by Toby Sinkinson
Instagram: @Sinkifoto
Website: Sinkifoto.co.uk
Original Score: Fin Corrigan
Secondary camera op: Jacob Goldsmith
In association with Falmouth University
Sequoia: a sense of place
Filmed over 52 days and an estimated 500 hours in the field across 5 months, this 10 minute short frames the passage of time and light in the foothills, highlands , and surrounding areas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Paradoxically while time in the frame is compressed, the process of each composition requires slowing down, patient observation, contemplation, and intuition of ancient natural cycles leading to a deeper appreciation of our position in a greater rhythm.
A short film by Dean Merrill
Website: http://dcmerrill.com
Cinematographer: Dean Merrill
Production Assistant: Michael Harmon
Audio Magician: Ryan Richards
Colorist: Flip Kotsishevskiy