Flying Flicks: Red Tails, Flight For Survival

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A major Hollywood movie about the Tuskegee Airmen is due in theaters soon, and meanwhile, a small documentary company has released a film about flying paragliders with wild birds in the Himalayas. Red Tails started production with LucasFilms in 2009 and will open in theaters on Jan. 20. “I’ve wanted to do this film for a great many years,” said George Lucas, executive producer. “The Tuskegee Airmen were such superb pilots … It is an honor to bring to the screen a story inspired by their heroics.” The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr.; trailers are online now. Meanwhile, Flight for Survival documents a different world — the remote Himalayan region where today a small group of paragliders work to preserve endangered vultures.

The film documents Scott Mason’s efforts to promote conservation of the birds and their habitat, and features aerial shots of paragliders and birds flying together amid spectacular mountain scenery. The DVD is for sale online. “Vultures are notoriously difficult animals to empathize with,” the filmmakers say at their website, but they hope to change that and encourage conservation efforts. The film recently was awarded a prize for “Best Human Adventure Film” at the 29th International Free Flight “Icarus Cup” Film Festival in France.

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