A Seven-Year Journey and the Making of Turtle Walker: A Collective Spotlight on Taira Malaney

Secure your tickets for the world premiere of Turtle Walker at DOC NYC on November 17 and 19 and virtually on November 18

“I think human emotion is one the greatest tools we have access to as filmmakers and storytellers to connect our audiences to the natural world, be it through a person or an animal.”

Emotion has been at the forefront of Taira Malaney’s work, which is evident in the films she creates. Taira is a writer, producer, and director from Goa. She has recently completed her first feature-length film, Turtle Walker, which won the Grand Teton Award and the People & Nature category at the 2024 Jackson Wild Media Awards. The night Turtle Walker won, everything came full circle. Nearly eight years ago, in 2016, when Taira was just starting her filmmaking career, she first discovered Jackson Wild.

“At that time, I was still learning the ropes of filmmaking, and the idea of being a part of the wildlife film community or even submitting a film to the festival felt like a dream. I remember watching some of the trailers of the films at Jackson Wild that year and being really inspired to make my own.”

It wasn’t until three years later that she’d attend her first Summit and would do so as one of the 16 Fellows selected to participate in the Media Lab.

“I had just started working on Turtle Walker the previous year, and so in between the Media Lab sessions, my associate director Krish Makhija and I set up meetings to pitch the film to nearly every commissioner we could meet! Unfortunately, we realized that Turtle Walker didn’t quite fit in. Feature docs about people and nature didn’t seem to have a place in the industry at the time. We didn’t find the partners or distributors we were looking for, but instead went back home with a glimpse into impact production and decided to start our own.”

“Over the next few years, I participated in as many Summits as I could. Through the mentorship program, I met Natalie Cash [Executive Producer at Wildlife Conservation Society] and Tom Mustill [Writer & Filmmaker], who guided and supported me on the impact campaign. I made valuable friends and collaborated with them on other projects. Most importantly, I found a sense of belonging in a community of people who shared the same passion for wildlife conservation and filmmaking that I did.”

When deciding what projects to take on, Taira believes “the most important element, in my opinion, is authenticity. That is the beauty, in my opinion, of cinema verité. When you film the events unraveling before you, and the characters trust you enough to be their authentic selves, the audience gets to go on an immersive emotional journey alongside them.”

The feature film follows the life and work of Satish Bhaskar, India’s sea turtle conservationist, traversing the country’s coastlines and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the 1970s to research and protect the endangered species. Armed with a camera and a notebook, he recorded turtle nesting sites and worked tirelessly to prevent their extinction. But when the 2004 tsunami struck, his life's work and the turtles he cherished were threatened.

“I can say that I was personally very drawn to Satish’s story because of his incredible spirit of discovery, humble nature, and perseverance to protect sea turtles. In all the years we spent together making this film, I never once questioned the authenticity of his actions. In fact, as I grew to know him better, it only solidified my determination to share his story. I hope that this comes through in the film - for the audience to feel pain for Satish in his moments of vulnerability, joy in his moments of triumph, wonder and awe in his moments of discovery, and all the other emotions he experiences along his journey.”

Turtle Walker features stunning cinematography filmed on some of the most remote islands in the world. “One night, we surveyed a remote beach in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to film nesting olive ridley turtles. Each night, the forest guards came across several ridleys on that beach and signaled to our team the right time to go over and start filming so as not to disturb her. On this particular night, there was no moon in the sky, and we were engulfed in pitch darkness. It was already 4 am, and no turtles had come to nest yet. Our eyes were getting heavy, the sandflies were unbearable, and we considered calling it a night. Suddenly, we saw a flashlight blinking in the distance - the forest guard’s signal that a turtle had emerged from the sea. We rushed over with our equipment and, when we arrived, noticed the sand around her shimmering in the dark night. It took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn’t looking at stars but, in fact, phosphorescence in the sand! Each time her flipper touched the sand, it lit up with a thousand little stars. We put our cameras down and marveled in awe at the sight before us.”

Amid Taira’s feelings of unease about the state of the planet at the outset of making the film, these very emotions helped her discover the direction she wanted the film to take – and, ultimately, the message she hopes audiences will gain.

“I realized we needed to have a lot more positive stories to inspire hope in young people such as myself. I remember our EP telling me how important it was to create wonder and draw the audience into the beauty of the character’s world before showing them the pain and conflict. I think a great film will explore a wide spectrum of human emotions while maintaining a delicate balance. For us, at the end of this journey, the message we wanted to convey was simple - sea turtles are resilient animals; they can recover from extreme changes in their environment.”

In addition to Turtle Walker, Emaho Films has produced several documentaries, such as My Mollem – Goa’s Green Heart, The Call of Pashmina, and A Living Legacy. Growing up in Goa, Taira recognized the significance of sharing stories deeply connected to India.

“I think there is a certain sense of intimacy, relatability, and trust that one can create with the character, community, and environment when making a film in a place familiar to you. As a director or producer, it is so important to build a safe environment for your characters, tell the story from their lens, and get access. If I did make films in other parts of the world, I would probably work with a local producer or director.”

“The other aspect of local storytelling is that we can reduce our carbon footprint and costs by traveling less. This is something I learnt during the pandemic, when all of a sudden, we had all these restrictions on travel. We ended up making films based in Goa or surrounding areas.”

Taira embraces the challenges she faces during the storytelling process, using them to inspire her creative direction. Although there was no archival footage from Satish’s surveys to include in the film, Taira and her team devised an innovative solution that successfully transports viewers back to that era.

“We knew we wanted to feature images from Satish’s surveys because we didn’t have any archival footage, were relying heavily on recreations, and Satish had a rich collection of slides dating back to his very first sojourns on South Reef Island. It was important to us that we brought these images to life by giving them movement while also maintaining the cinematic feel of the film. Their movement. We had seen the parallax effect used successfully in other films, and so during post-production, we decided to try it out, and it worked well!”

Despite the trials, triumphs, challenges, and victories that come with filmmaking, she aims to inspire those who are just beginning. Her key advice centers on building a community and fostering connections while encouraging others not to shy away from reaching out.

“I would say find a community and crew of people you enjoy working with because I could not have done it alone. Filmmaking is already so hard; there are so many odds stacked against you as an emerging artist that having the support of people (especially those who are more experienced) is key. Attend the pitching forums and markets, watch the films being shown there, and meet filmmakers and producers whose work you really like and admire. When it comes time to make your own film, reach out to these people for mentorship or to collaborate with you on the project. If it aligns well, they will bring so much experience and expertise to the film - take it, learn from it, and implement it!”

“That being said, it took us so many years of independently producing this film before we got to a point where we had the partnerships in place to fund it. There were many times that I questioned whether we would find that support at all. Back then, I wish I knew this could happen a lot later on so I could better prepare to navigate the challenges it presented.”

“I would also advise aspiring filmmakers to take more time to develop the story and consider whether it has the right ingredients to be a feature-length film. I would encourage them to think about distribution and where they want the film to end up because that will enable them to build their audience, develop the treatment and style, and seek the right grants and support early on.”

Taira Malaney and Jill Ferguson, Turtle Walker’s Impact Producer, at the 2024 Jackson Wild Media Awards Ceremony

With a portfolio of impact-drived films, Taira’s talent and passion for authentic storytelling will continue to inspire audiences locally and globally. As she keeps pushing the boundaries of environmental filmmaking, we can’t wait to see where her journey leads!

Taira Malaney is a writer, director, and producer from Goa, India. She tells deeply moving, character-driven stories exploring relationships between people and the natural world. Her films are developed alongside impact campaigns to address the social justice and environmental issues central to the stories. Taira received her B.A. in Psychology in 2013 from Occidental College, where her focus was on fostering empathy in youth. Since graduating, she has incorporated what she’s learned into the several award-winning short films she has written and directed.

To stay up to date with Taira's work, follow her Instagram @tairamalaney,

To learn more about Emaho Films, check out their website, Facebook, Instagram @emahofilms, and Linktree. You can learn more about Turtle Walker by visiting the film’s official website and Instagram @turtlewalkerfilm.

The Jackson Wild Collective is the virtual home for our global storytelling community to connect, collaborate, and inspire change year-round.Join today.

A Seven-Year Journey and the Making of Turtle Walker: A Collective Spotlight on Taira Malaney

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