Saving Pelican 895 (DVD)

From Emmy - winning filmmakers Marc Levin and Daphne, The Louisiana state bird -- the brown pelican -- spent 45 years on the endangered species list. After years of being relocated back to its natural habitat, the April 2010 BP explosion and oil spill ravaged the brown pelican's nesting homes on the Gulf of Mexico. As oil rushed in at millions of gallons each day, seven thousand birds died as a result of the environmental disaster. Three months after the spill, cleanup workers rescued 894 birds. Saving Pelican 895 tells the gripping story of the rescue of one of the oiled bird victims, pelican "LA 895" (named after its state and rescue number), by the Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Louisiana. Following LA895 on his heartfelt journey -- from his rescue as a young bird with oil-slicked feathers and little survival skills to his return to his natural habitat -- the film intimately captures the marathon process that a life must endure to recover from such harsh conditions. This beautifully shot 39-minute documentary is as much about the effects of the spill on the brown pelican as a species as it is about the Louisianans who give their hearts and souls to help find and heal their state's birds.

• documentary
• drama