The Butterfly
US, 2000, 16mm, color, 80 min.
In December 1997, twenty-one-year-old Julia Butterfly Hill climbed into a thousand-year-old redwood tree named Luna in an attempt to save it from logging. Her civil action quickly captured worldwide attention and galvanized an already intense dispute over the fate of northern California’s old-growth forests. For the next two years, Hill lived atop her 180-foot-high platform, enduring life-threatening storms, cold temperatures, and lumber company helicopters amidst a constant barrage of supporters and detractors, journalists and film crews, and the awesome beauty of days and nights in the ancient tree. Filmmaker Doug Wolens captures the action both above the ground and below, including the dissension within Julia’s sponsoring organization, EarthFirst!, and the many sides of the complex debate among loggers, conservationists, local residents, and corporate officials. What emerges most forcefully is the stirring spirit and clear-spoken wisdom of a young woman whose commitment to the dictates of her heart sets an example for us all.