In August of 2018, Terry Spahr approached Katya Alexander and me with an idea for a documentary. It was a story near and dear to his heart, and one he knew that he had to tell. The Earth is struggling: ocean acidification, the collapse of our aquatic ecosystems, the desertification of our lands, degrading air quality are just a few of its problems. Our planet is clearly sick and the role of human activity as the primary cause of its illness is now undeniable. To put it simply, we, as humans, consume more than the earth can provide. Terry felt strongly that we had to show as many people as that we can and must find a better way to live in harmony with planet Earth.

8 Billion Angels takes us across the world, talking to people from all walks of life, in order to shine light on the problem and the solutions. By educating women and empowering them in their family planning decisions and by embracing the idea of smaller families, we can reduce the world’s population. As a result, our consumption of resources would naturally decrease, alleviating the stress on our natural ecosystems, and ultimately leading to a balanced and healthy planet.

Addressing the population taboo is extremely important. For generations, we have lived without truly understanding the impact we have on this planet. It is time for us to stop burying our heads in the sand and build a future in which we all can prosper. This film speaks directly to a younger generation, the generation responsible for the future of our planet, my generation. As the director, my goal was to share it’s message as you would in a conversation. This film was my way of taking the audience on the adventure I went on, seeing the world with eyes wide open and ultimately realizing my role in how we got to this point. Most importantly, I want to help audiences feel the hope that I feel that, if we band together, we can chart a new path from one of despair and paralysis to one of