# Bird Sues State of Hawaii In Extinction Dispute; ‘A Paradise Lost’ Documents Fowl Case

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/bird-sues-state-of-hawaii-in-extinction-dispute-a-paradise-lost-documents-fowl-case/
- Published: 2026-07-16T16:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-26T07:13:19+00:00
- Original publisher: Deadline
- Original article: https://deadline.com/2026/07/a-paradise-lost-palila-bird-documentary-release-1236983784/
- Topics: Film

## Key points

- Documentary revisits 1979 Palila bird lawsuit against Hawaii
- Endangered bird now numbers only about 600 individuals
- Film opens in NY/LA cinemas ahead of PBS broadcast

## Summary

A new documentary, *A Paradise Lost*, tells the story of the Palila, a tiny endangered Hawaiian bird that became the unlikely subject of a landmark 1979 lawsuit against the state of Hawaii aimed at preventing its extinction. Directed by Hawaii-born filmmaker Laurie Sumiye, the film blends animation and live-action footage, narrating events from the perspective of a stuffed Palila specimen that sat in on the historic court case, which went on to establish habitat protections for endangered species across the United States.

The Palila, found only on the Mauna Kea volcano, weighs less than two ounces and is now down to roughly 600 individuals, its habitat having been degraded by climate change, cattle ranching and sheep grazing. The film follows a Native Hawaiian conservationist working to restore the bird's native forest, and has already won an award at Guatemala's Festival De Cine Antigua while screening at festivals in the US, Chile, Greece and Australia. It begins a limited theatrical run from 31 July at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema in New York and from 2 August in Los Angeles, before airing nationally on PBS and on select airlines.

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