Between Earth & Sky

Nalini Nadkarni is a world-renowned ecologist who climbs trees in the rainforest canopy to study “what grows back” after an ecological disturbance. After surviving a life-threatening fall from a tree in 2015, Nalini begins to explore a new research subject – herself. As a child, trees provided solace and safety to Nalini, and she swore an oath to protect them. Now, Nalini is doing the work of untangling the roots of her past, to understand how they impacted her life’s course. In an attempt to heal, she revisits the site of her fall on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, where her past, present, and future converge.

Directed by Andrew Nadkarni
Produced by Andrew Nadkarni, Swetha Regunathan, and Katie Schiller

Director’s Bio: Andrew Nadkarni is a queer multiracial filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. His directorial debut, Between Earth & Sky, won Best Short at Big Sky Doc Film Fest and will premiere on PBS/POV in Fall 2023. A 2023 BRIClab Artist in Residence, he aims to integrate sustainable community care, and trauma-informed practices into his filmmaking process, telling generational stories about diaspora communities.

Plays in

Silver Mavericks: Women in Motion

This documentary collection illuminates the lives of spirited women in their sixties. Transcending traditional roles such as mothers or housewives, these remarkable individuals reshaped the stereotypical narrative about Asian womanhood. Celebrate these trailblazers, whose accomplishments in the realms of law, science, and community building continue to influence and uplift us today. Witness as their quests for self-discovery and empowerment inspire Asian women across generations to embrace their uniqueness, challenge norms, and forge their own paths.