Shot around the Palmyra oasis, Syria, not far from the Euphrates river and the Iraqi border. Despite its bad reputation in the international press, the Syrian government is very much involved in the effort of protecting its natural heritage. This is the story of a handful of visionary men who are fighting in the desert to protect what is left of the biodiversity of Al Badia, the semi-arid desert steppe stretching from the Iraqi border to almost the Mediterranean coast. Their efforts will be rewarded by the discovery, in a remote area, of the last Middle Eastern breeding colony of the Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in the wild, one of the rarest migratory birds and a symbol of wisdom for the Bedouins of the desert.

Broadcasters:
National Geographic Channel (2007)
Community Television of Santa Cruz County, California, USA, (2007)
PBS: for Wild Chronicles, a program of the National Geographic Society (2006)
Italiani nel Mondo Channel: after selection by the Italian Foreign Office (2006)

IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN

Awards:
Best Newcomer prize at the 4th Annual Montana CINE International, Missoula, Montana USA (2007)
Best documentary in “Endangered species and Habitats” category at EarthVision Film Festival, Santa Cruz, CA USA (2007).
Merit award for the Use of Music at the “International Wildlife Film Festival”, Missoula,Montana, USA (2006).
Best Newcomer prize at the “International Nature and Environment Film Festival” (2005, Teramo, Italy)

Officially selected as finalist at the following film festivals:
Ekofilm Film Festival 2007, Praha, Czech Republic
Matsalu Nature Film Festival 2007, Lihula, Estonia
CMS Vatavaran Film Festival 2007, New Delhi, India
Wild Talk Africa 2007, Durban, South Africa
Aotearoa Environmental Film Festival 2007, Palmerston North, New Zealand
EnviroFilm 2007, Slovak Republic
Ekotopfilm 2007, Bratislava, Slovak Republik

Topic areas: endangered species, conservation biology, traditional cultures.

Credits:
Produced, written, and directed by GIUSEPPE BUCCIARELLI
Narrated by GIUSEPPE BUCCIARELLI
Camera: GIUSEPPE BUCCIARELLI
Editor: GIUSEPPE BUCCIARELLI

Minutes: 23 minutes

Date: 2007