This three minute video will give you an overview what is the state of the effort to preserve Plum Island.
Thank you for your interest in our documentary about Plum Island, which has been off-limits to the public for decades and is one of the last open spaces on the East End of Long Island. Our film reveals
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which role this mysterious island has played in protecting American livestock from disease and protecting the American people from foreign threats,
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how deeply an island the size of Central Park is embedded in the region’s ecosystems and communities,
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how an eclectic group of locals is fighting to save Plum Island,
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and who will determine its future (spoiler alert: anyone willing to participate in democracy).
Plum Island is teeming with nature that has been left alone for several decades, and it houses a high-security animal disease research center. The government decided to move this laboratory to Kansas, and now the island’s future is in limbo.
Our goal for this film is that everybody learns what’s on the table for this precious island so close to their homes - before the final decision is made. And this is where you can make a decisive difference!
What you get when you support the film
Through your support, you can become a major force in making this film happen, and in return, you’ll be featured as a supporter of the film.
What we need
At this point, we need additional cash funding for the post-production period: $80,000 in total. Any tax-deductible contribution to this amount will help us finish the film in a timely manner. Your donations will pay for services like sound mixing, editing, color correction and music rights.
What we accomplished so far
We aim to release the documentary in early 2025. To date (August 2024), we have filmed approximately 80% of the footage needed for the documentary. We have been financing the production through our own investments and resources, donations, and in-kind services rendered by friends within the creative community.
What you can expect
Come on board and get recognized for your support:
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A tax-deductible donation of $50,000 or more will get you a spot in the opening credits as one of the film’s executive* producers.
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$25,000 or greater earns you a Co-Executive Producer mention in the opening credits
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$10,000 or greater will be recognized as Contributing Producer in the end credits.
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$5,000 or greater are mentioned under “This film was made possible with the support of”
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Any contribution below that will be mentioned under "Thank you for your support in the end credits
Being credited for bringing this film to the screen will be recognized by the community at large. Of course anynomous contributions are alos possible.
*As an executive producer your financial contribution will be a significant factor to make this film happen. While you support the production and work with the director and producer of the film, the final editorial control remains with the director and the production company.
Contact us for more information
All donations are tax-deductible. My production company Archipelago Productions LLC has teamed up with The Gotham Film & Media Institute (formerly known as IFP). This 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serves as a fiscal sponsor. Every donation counts.
What is going on with Plum Island?
A high-security research laboratory made Plum Island off-limits to the public for decades, allowing nature to thrive. The island has become an important stopover for migratory birds on the Atlantic Flyway and a haven for biodiversity, considered an essential means to fight climate change. Today, Plum Island sustains one of the most significant habitats on the East Coast: Seals, dolphins, turtles, and other animals flourish there, as do rare plants. There are also historical buildings, from a lighthouse to a military fort, and the Montaukett Indian Nation used to hunt and fish on the island.
When the government decided to move the research lab to Kansas, it stipulated that the picturesque island with a storied past was to be auctioned to the highest bidder, the proceeds earmarked to pay for the move. This decision caused a thunderous ripple effect: Environmentalists, conservationists, historical societies, businesses, and impassioned individuals rallied and campaigned to stop the sale - growing to a coalition of over 120 organizations.
In December 2020, they succeeded in preventing the sale - only to learn that that this is not the end of the story, but its real beginning. What will turn out as the best option for Plum Island’s future, and who will make the decision? Take a look at sample scenes of our film and get to know a few of the activists. Our documentary will also feature experts and locals who are not actively involved in any Plum Island campaign.
Watch sample scenes and get to know some of our protagonists
Time is of essence for this project. We want to release the film before a final decision about the future of Plum Island is made. That way, the film will inform the public - more than 23 million people in the New York/ Connecticut metropolitan area - about the fate of Plum Island, so that people can voice their opinions and get involved, and provide inspiration to the many communities struggling with similar questions elsewhere. As a financial supporter, you can make that happen.
Contact us today to learn more about becoming involved with the film, or make a tax-deductible donation now.
Who is making this film?
Director/Producer
Thomas Halaczinsky is a German-American documentary director, based in Greenport, Long Island. Between 2020 and 2022 he produced and directed the three-part documentary series ARCHIPELAGO NEW YORK for the European network ARTE and national German broadcaster ZDF. The series focuses on how nature negotiates and sustains its existence in the New York metropolis. It was an official selection of the 2022 International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco; won an Excellence Award at the Nature Without Borders Film Festival and was awarded Best Science Film at the International Blue Water Film Festival. Thomas is also an accomplished documentary cinematographer. Between 2003 and 2023, Thomas produced and directed three documentaries that followed Holocaust survivor Margot Friedlander, as she revisited her life story beginning at age 83: DON'T CALL IT HEIMWEH (2004); LATE RETURN (2011); and ARRIVED: MARGOT FRIEDLANDER, BERLIN. DON'T CALL IT HEIMWEH was selected as the opening film at the 2005 International Jewish Film Festival in Berlin. Thomas also produced feature films, amongst them two features directed by Peter Lilienthal. In 1996, he won an ACE award for his contribution to the EMMY Award-winning film CALLING THE GHOST.
Producer/Writer
Petrina Engelke is a seasoned journalist, writer and producer who is credited on Halaczinsky’s ARCHIPELAGO NEW YORK as a producer. She co-directed the short documentary film “New York Farm City” (2011), about rooftop farms in New York City with Raul Mandru. As a writer, Petrina just finished her fourth book (to be published in spring 2024): a take on American food following the famed Route 66, with interviews and stories by her and recipes by well-known German chef Gabi Frankemoelle. So far, Petrina’s books about the United States have been published in Germany. A permanent resident of the United States, Petrina lives in Greenport, New York.
Additional Crew
Aaron Tomlinson is a two-time Emmy-nominated director of photography who has been working for the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” since 2009. A seasoned broadcast photographer, Aaron has contributed to documentaries about high-profile public figures such as Michael Bloomberg, Bill Gates, and Carl Icahn, and four U.S. presidents. He has also worked with renowned broadcast journalists from Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace, Dan Rather to Anderson Cooper and on countless investigative news reports around the world. Aaron lives in Southold, the town to which Plum Island belongs. As an an avid sailor, he brings an in-depth knowledge of the seascape and islands off Long Island and has extensive experience filming on the water.
Bill Moulton is an award-winning advertising creative, director and video producer . With 20+ years creating visual campaigns for clients like Dell, Levis and Warner Bros Music, he recently launched a production studio in Greenport in 2020. Today he develops and produces film and video projects in partnership with companies and non-profit organizations, offering creative, video production and post-production services. He also created Greenie Supply & Tackle, a treasure map vending machine that encourages people to go on adventures in local landscapes. Bill lives in East Marion, Long Island.
Scott Bluedorn, born and raised in East Hampton, is a Sag Harbor-based artist, illustrator and designer who works across media including drawing, painting, printmaking, installation, collage, and assemblage. He creates surreal imagery inspired by maritime history, cultural anthropology, myth, supernatural themes, and the natural world to distill a visual world he deems a “maritime cosmology”.
Gisburg, (aka Gisburg Smialek), is a composer, singer, and music editor originally from Salzburg, Austria. She has been creating music for film since 2003 (for example High Life by Leila Yomtoob, or I Did by Pedro Patrizio, and her work also has been used in music recordings and podcasts. She has been a member of the sound for film union Local 700 since 1996. Gisburg attended Berlin University of the Arts as a guest student for composition and modern music theater with Dieter Schnebel and Witold Szalonek and for visual arts with Eva Maria Schön. Gisburg has lived in New York since 1992.