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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.

  • 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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