 Away from his family for up to 3 years at a time, Peruvian shepherd, Christian Aliaga works the hillsides of northern California with a massive herd of goats and two exceptional Border Collies. Together they roam the land conducting wildfire mitigation with their old-world, natural approach to vegetation management. Christian shares his affinity for nature, the animals he works with, and a glimpse at his timeless trade in the modern age.  Director Matthew Boyd https://www.wayoftheshepherdfilm.com Matthew Boyd is an award-winning cinematographer and director based in Oakland, CA. working in feature film, short film, documentary, and television spaces. His work has been featured on Netflix, HBO Documentary Films, Showtime, theatrically, and in film festivals worldwide. Boyd's recent feature work as cinematographer includes "ZONA", a feature-length documentary about Zona Roberts, the 103 yr old disability rights activist and mother of Ed Roberts. "Mine 9", (Netflix, Showtime) And "Hazard", a new feature starring Sosie Bacon, Alex Roe, and Steven Ogg based on the Appalachian opioid epidemic.
Director Statement I first met Christian Aliaga on a foggy hike in the hills of Berkeley, California. He was setting up an electric perimeter fence, surrounded by a massive herd of goats with two trusty Border Collies at his side. I learned that these goats were the descendants of a herd brought by Spanish missionaries to Catalina Island in the 1800's. The ranch Christian works for collected hundreds of these goats in the mid-90's when ranchers and animals rights groups offered to remove the goats from the island before a planned mass culling of the population. I was fascinated by this novel approach to wildfire mitigation through vegetation management, and the story behind his time working alongside these animals, alone, in these varied settings. Every visit revealed something more interesting than the last, and two years later, I had gained a friend and finished a film. |
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