To prepare for telling this saga, I read the 1,200 page trial transcript and interviewed many of the people involved in the trial, from the jury foreman to the avian veterinarian.  Unfortunately, the only response from the two balloonists came through their lawyer.  Quite simply, they had no desire to participate in the documentary.  I believe that when you watch THE OSTRICH TESTIMONIES you can feel their absence.  They refused to speak to me, just as they refused to answer D.C.’s phone calls.

I hope documentary filmmakers continue to directly address the “big” topics like war, religion, genocide, and climate change.  But I also hope that we continue to pay attention to smaller, lesser-known stories about private lives.  D.C. Cogburn is a dying breed, and my self-appointed job was to document his character.  I feel nervous writing about him because I know that some readers will believe that my words romanticize him.  But that’s okay.  Those readers, and others less skeptical, can watch the documentary and judge D.C. Cogburn for themselves.