Watch Birdnesters of Thailand

This is a documentary about the people who clamber up vines and dangerous bamboo scaffolding to reach the sheer walls of the limestone caves along the Andaman sea. With burning torches clamped between their teeth, these Thai workers spend their days navigating the darkness and the dizzying heights in order to harvest the spent nests of swiftlets, the main ingredient for the Chinese delicacy of authentic bird's-nest soup. Directed by Eric Valli, Birdnesters of Thailand received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Film.