Fanihi (The Mariana Fruit Bat, a type of Flying Fox) have long been considered a delicacy by the inhabitants of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).   Unsustainable hunting has brought the population of Fanihi to critical levels on the archipelago’s small island of Rota -  despite recent laws prohibiting the killing of the endangered species.  Fanihi: A Cultural Digest explores the slippery slope of cultural preservation versus environmental conservation… and whether the two efforts are necessarily mutually exclusive.

I acted as Director of Photography for the film, spending two weeks shooting on the island.  The film is a project by my good friend and fellow producer, filmmaker and shooter, Jim Tharp.

Watch the standard-definition version above.  Watch in HD at Vimeo.