The Pajaro Jai Foundation     Espanol

A vital and inspiring story unfolds as construction is underway on the new Pajaro Jai yacht and this time the efforts of the Darien natives will be documented on film. Pajaro Jai: The Power of an Idea, will be directed by Emmy and Ace award winner John Armstrong whose previous documentaries blend high adventure with cultural and political observations in countries as diverse as Peru and the former Soviet Union. His latest Emmy resulted from his work filming "Mountain of Ice" for the popular telivision series Nova.

The PJF documentary will use the story of the construction of the Pajaro Jai as the canvas upon which the deeper story of the problems driving rain forest destruction in the Darien will be drawn. The film will emphasize the concept of market based conservation and illustrate this with the furniture factory owned and operated by the people of the Darien.

Over 60 hours of film has been shot since filming began in December,
1993 when construction of the Pajaro Jai began. During Armstrong's most recent trip the cultural festival in Mogue was documented, yielding some of the best footage shot so far. He has also been filming everyday activities of the three cultures involved in our program. He will periodically make trips to the area as the yacht, the furniture factory, and other activities advance.