Local filmmaker finds her wings

The dreams and aspirations of the Sunset Park community are as diverse as the people who live and work in the neighborhood. As part of a series diving into those dreams and the lives of the dreamers, the Post had the opportunity to sit down with neighborhood resident, parent, writer, editor, and filmmaker Heather Von Rorh, who is currently raising funds for a feature-length version of her short A Bird Came Down, a love story about two birdwatchers navigating a romance challenged by pregnancy, climate change, and migration.

Sunset Post: In an essay you wrote for Filmmaker Magazine you discuss the difficulty of continuing to make movies while raising a child. What would you tell other parents and caregivers who may be deferring their dreams to take care of loved ones?

Heather Von Rorh: Don’t let go of your dreams, but don’t hold on too tight. Keep doing your practice, whatever it is, in whatever small way is possible. At the very least, it might keep you sane. And then, when something shifts in your life, you may be ready to pursue your goals in a more focused way.

I would also encourage them to recognize the value of their particular life experience and perspective. We might find ourselves regretting the lost time or feeling like we should have been able to “do it all”—but in my case, I actually think I have more to offer as a filmmaker because of the detours I took and I suspect something similar would be true for a lot of people.

SP: How did birdwatching become a thematic anchor for the story? Was there a specific moment or experience that inspired you?

HVR: I had been intrigued when a friend told me about going on birdwatching walks in Prospect Park, so when spring migration came around, I joined one. I think it was my first day out and I got a spectacular view of a Blackburnian Warbler. It was perched on the top of a dead tree singing, and its orange throat was glowing in the sunshine. That’s pretty much when I decided to write a film set in the world of birdwatching. It just felt so richly cinematic, and interesting to portray a side of New York City life (both the people and the birds!) that we haven’t seen in a narrative film before. So it started with the birds, and from there the story evolved, drawing from aspects of my own life and people I observed over several years of birding—and as the story took shape, the bird theme became more and more resonant, particularly with regard to climate change and the vulnerability of biological life.

SP: Were any scenes filmed in the neighborhood? Can we look forward to film crews and catering trucks on Fifth Avenue when you shoot the feature?

HVR: The birding scenes in the short film were shot in Prospect Park, but we did shoot in an apartment in Sunset Park. For the feature, again, most of the birding scenes will be in Prospect Park, and there are also scenes in Jamaica Bay. Green-Wood Cemetery would be a great place to shoot, as well—the spring migration birding there is fantastic—but the permitting situation might be tricky. We probably won’t be shooting in Sunset Park itself, but anyone in the neighborhood who is interested in birds should definitely check out Green-Wood during spring migration!

SP: How about favorite spots around the neighborhood where you like to write or take a break from writing?

HVR: I don’t write in cafés much these days, but Yafa is my go-to for breakfast or lunch with a friend, meetings, coffee dates. I spent a couple hours storyboarding with my cinematographer there recently! They are so friendly, and everything is delicious and made with care.

But my favorite place in the neighborhood is the park itself, which has been a huge part of our experience living here. I’m probably not the person to do it, but I would love for someone to make a documentary about all the different people and cultures and activities overlapping there on any given day.

SP: The feature includes a neurodivergent teenage character, Dora, which feels very personal given your experience with your own neurodivergent daughter. How has your relationship with her influenced your depiction of Dora?

HVR: Dora is a 15-year-old birdwatcher with savant-like skills and a tendency to wander who lives with her alcoholic single mother. Other than her age (though my daughter was much younger when I conceived the character), none of that description fits me or my daughter. Still, she was the inspiration for having Dora be neurodivergent, and I drew on her personality and those of other neurodivergent kids I have met or learned about over the years—including Greta Thunberg—in developing the character. Dora has a rigidity and emotional intensity that can be challenging, but also a kind of unwavering purity that is inspiring to others, and that dichotomy reflects my experience with my daughter.

SP: Did you find any local resources that helped support your daughter’s special needs? Is there something available elsewhere that you wish existed in Sunset Park?

HVR: As far as resources, one thing that comes to mind is that when my daughter was little we used to take her to Extreme Kids and Crew in Red Hook, which is a non-profit that organizes a lot of different activities for neurodivergent and differently abled kids. If there were something like that for teenagers in Sunset Park, that would be an amazing resource for us. Two neighborhood spots she has loved growing up with are the pool and the library, and looking ahead—she likes life sciences, so we are intrigued to check out GenSpace, our local community biology lab, which is apparently the first of its kind in the world!

SP: How did the casting of Mitzi Akaha and Raúl Castillo in the short come about? What drew you to them for these roles?

HVR: For both leads, I was looking for actors who could give simple, naturalistic performances and still bring a lot of expressiveness and specificity, and a strong sense of interior life. Mitzi had all that, and also a refreshingly open and direct energy that was appealing both for the character and in a working relationship. I saw a kind of spark in her that made me curious to see what she would bring out in Sylvie that I hadn’t yet imagined. I also appreciated that she is a climate activist, and had a strong connection with the film’s themes.

Raúl I had already been thinking of for the feature. His character, Gus, is the only one I wrote with a particular racial or ethnic identity in mind. I wanted to steer clear of a more stereotypical, probably white, image of a “nature guy,” and I liked how his being Latino echoed the migration of the birds from south to north. He is a fantastic actor—but even before I saw his work, what first won me over was an interview I saw. He has this very warm, generous presence and a great sense of artistic integrity; the interviewer asked him how he decides whether or not to do a project with a first-time director, and he said it all comes down to the script. So I thought, if he likes the script, maybe he’ll do it! I was really honored that he did.

SP: You’re currently crowdfunding for post-production—what’s your hope for the next steps? How can our readers best support you?

HVR: Thank you for asking! We would be very grateful for donations of any amount for the short film through our NYFA fiscal sponsorship page (donations are tax deductible). Remaining costs include some last payments to our post-production team, film festival applications, and eventually making a DCP (the format for screening in a theater).

For the feature, which has a much bigger budget, but also a greater possibility of making money back eventually, we are looking for investors, particularly to help us out in the development stage. We don’t plan to do principal shooting until spring of 2026, but this year we want to put our production team and key cast together and start shooting B-roll of birds. So any money we raise in the next few months would go toward a casting agent, film stock, camera rentals, and paying our cinematographer.

SP: This is the first film you’ve shot in over two decades. What has it meant to you to return to directing after such a long break?

HVR: It has been exciting and liberating to come back to it, a little like coming out of hibernation into the spring. But it’s more of an evolution than a return because of everything I’ve done in between. I’ve written screenplays, worked as an editor, become a mother, and done a lot of martial arts practice. And through all that I’ve not only gained some wisdom and skills, but also gotten more comfortable putting myself out there, even making mistakes. All of that makes it easier to suddenly be doing my creative work in a much more outward facing way than when I was quietly dreaming up stories on the page.

At the same time, it’s such a difficult field to succeed in—and by “succeed” I mean, consistently being able to make films and stay afloat financially—that I really don’t have any expectations. I just get up in the morning and do the next thing, and in that sense it’s nothing special; it’s everyday life. What really keeps me going, though, is the collaborative element, the relationships with producers and actors and other film artists who all bring their own magic to the process. In that sense I feel very supported in a way that is new and gives me a feeling of great possibility.