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When Parkinson's strikes her husband and neighbors, a filmmaker investigates a toxic secret in their valley, confronting a chemical giant's decades of deceit.

In one rural community in upstate New York, 36 neighbors have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

One of those people is Gordon Chaplin, husband of filmmaker Sarah Teale.

In this documentary film, Sarah sets out to investigate the causes behind the high prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in her farming community.

WHERE THE SWEET BIRDS SANG follows several farmers and Sarah’s neighbors and explores how the decisions made by the EPA in Washington and an international chemical company have led to a global pandemic of Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world.

Since 1990, Global Parkinson’s rates have risen 386% — from 2.8 million to 10.8 million.

WHY THIS FILM MATTERS

Mounting scientific evidence points to a clear link between pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s, but this truth is rarely part of the public conversation.

This film brings that connection to life. By focusing on one small community where families are living with the consequences of decades of pesticide use, we reveal a story that is both intimate and universal. These are not abstract statistics—they are neighbors, parents, farmers, and brothers whose experiences reflect a global crisis unfolding in plain sight.

Our documentary bridges the gap between science and human experience. It examines how the chemicals we rely on to grow our food can have consequences far beyond their intended use—shaping public health, environmental safety, and entire communities. While the story begins with Parkinson’s, its implications reach far wider, raising questions that affect us all.

SUPPORT THE FILM

Agricultural areas have the highest rate of Parkinson’s

In one study the risk of developing Parkinson’s amongst farmers was 170% higher than non-farmers

OUR EXPERTS

Only 10-15% or Parkinson’s cases are genetic - 85-90% are caused by environmental factors

MEET THE TEAM

  • Sarah Teale

    Producer/Director

    Sarah Teale was the producer/Director for HBO’s documentary Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections which was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding investigative Documentary in 2021 and the HBO series The Weight of the Nation, which was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy.

    HBO films she produced and directed include Dealing Dogs (Emmy nomination for Outstanding Investigative Documentary); Hacking Democracy (Emmy nomination for Outstanding investigative Documentary); Death on a Factory Farm; Bellevue: Inside Out and Mumia Abu Jamal: A Case for Reasonable Doubt? (Cable Ace Award nomination).

    She has also produced and directed documentaries for the BBC, A&E and Discovery. She recently produced the feature documentaries Grazers: A Cooperative Story with Lisa F. Jackson, distributed by Collective Eye and Passion River and Patrimonio, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and Full Frame and is distributed by First Run Features.

  • Max Peltz

    Producer

    Max Peltz is an Emmy-nominated film and television producer, best known for producing the Netflix Original How to Rob a Bank, which debuted in the Netflix Global Top 10 during its first two weeks.

    Previously, Max wrote and produced In the Cold Dark Night, a feature documentary that aired on ABC, Hulu, and Sky Documentaries, and was later released on BET+ as a four-part series in 2020. For this work, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing Documentary. He then produced Bad Hombres for Showtime and the cybersecurity series hacker:HUNTER, which was viewed by more than 12 million people between 2019 and 2023.

    Max is an Executive Producer on Balomania, which premiered to wide acclaim at CPH:DOX in 2024 and has received multiple award nominations, including Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Robert Awards. He is also a Co-Executive Producer on the three-part docuseries Fugitive: The Mystery of the Crypto Queen, released on Channel 4 in July 2024, and a Consulting Producer on the eco-thriller Rhino, narrated by Tom Hardy and released theatrically in November 2025.

    Max is a voting BAFTA member and began his career working with award-winning producer Lawrence Elman and BBC Storyville commissioning editor Nick Fraser.

  • Maxim Gertler-Jaffe

    Producer

    Maxim Gertler-Jaffe is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose work spans documentary, scripted, and multimedia storytelling. Most recently, he produced How to Rob A Bank, a Global Top 10 hit on Netflix. In 2022, Maxim co-directed the multimedia short-form documentary Chinatown 2050 with architect and artist Linda Zhang. The project premiered at DOXA and SDAFF, with a VR version featured at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche.

    Maxim has played a key role in the development and production of acclaimed feature documentaries, including All Governments Lie, which screened at TIFF and IDFA, enjoyed a North American theatrical run, and was broadcast internationally. He also contributed to The Truth is in the Stars, a Netflix acquired documentary following William Shatner as he interviews celebrity trekkies such as Stephen Hawking, Ben Stiller, and Whoopi Goldberg.

    Beyond documentaries, Maxim co-created the award-winning short scripted series World Away. Additionally, he has produced, directed, and edited promotional and campaign videos for prominent clients like CBC Television and the Writers’ Trust of Canada.

  • Tom Hurwitz

    Director of Photography

    Tom Hurwitz, ASC Has been a director and cameraman for over 40 years. He is one of America’s most honored documentary cinematographers, the first documentarian to be inducted into the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Hurwitz is the recipient of the 2024 Peabody Award for directing the documentary, Can You Bring It (PBS, Amazon). He has also won two Emmy Awards, the Sundance and Jerusalem Film Festival Awards for Best Cinematography, and has photographed films that have won four Academy Awards and several more nominations (most recently for Dancemaker and Killing in the Name) and dozens of other awards and honors. His other award-winning films and programs and festival selections around the world are too numerous to mention but most recently his Starman is opening this year’s SXSW film festival in Austin, TX.  He has also taught for decades on the film faculties of NYU and The School of Visual Arts. 

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