The award-winning film shines a light on bird rehabbers

Bird rehabilitators in India’s capital city, New Delhi, are the subject of a film that first won the documentary prize at both Cannes and Sundance film festivals. The 90-minute film opens today, October 21, in New York City, and it will be shown in several other cities in the United States and Canada over the next month or so. It will be available on HBO and HBO Max in 2023.

Everything Breathing is the story of two brothers, Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud, who run a bird clinic in their basement. They struggle with lack of funds, the seemingly constant flow of birds brought to them, and the guilt of not having enough time for family.

Despite their challenges, we have no doubt that Nadeem and Mohammad and their volunteer assistant Salik are committed to saving as many birds as possible. Most of their patients are Black Kites — raptors that have a wide range across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia. We also see them taking care of other birds of prey and vultures.

We learned that Nadeem and Mohammad’s late mother had a saying: “Everyone who breathes should not be different.” His philosophy inspired them to start raising birds about 20 years ago and continues to this day. It is also evident that his philosophy inspired the film’s director, Shaunak Sen, not only in the title of the film but also in the visually stunning cinematography. New Delhi is a metropolis of more than 32 million people, but Sen still shows the city’s various wildlife, including flocks of birds, turtles, and a spectacular opening shot that I can’t spoil. .

At one point, one of the brothers lamented the fact that they had so many patients with wings. “Hundreds of birds fall from the sky every day. What’s surprising is that people carry on as if everything is normal.”

The film’s narrative suggests that New Delhi’s polluted air causes so many birds to “fall from the sky.” And the reviews I read Everything Breathing seem to agree that pollution is the main issue, which makes sense, since New Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

However, in February 2020, The New York Times published an article about the brothers under the headline “Meet the Bird Medics of New Delhi.” The writer, Oliver Whang, explains that people fly kites made of manja – “cotton thread coated with colorful layers of crushed glass.”

“Manja is often used to fly paper kites, a popular pastime in India, one that became a symbol of national pride in New Delhi after the country gained independence from Britain in 1947,” explains Whang. “On clear days, especially after the rainy season, when the rooftops of the city are full of people, kites flash across the sky, their threads forming an invisible cat’s cradle above .” A film shot briefly shows this release of kites from rooftops.

Sadly, every year, thousands of birds’ wings are clipped by glass in manja. In the film, Nadeem, Mohammad, and Salik treat raptors with physical injuries, which may have been caused by the encounter with manja. I’m surprised that this wasn’t explained in the movie, but nevertheless, I really felt the distress of people who go about their lives “as if everything is normal” when we humans are causing so many environmental disasters around the world.

Whether it’s bird damage, polluted air, free-roaming cats, glass windows, pesticides, overfishing, oil spills, global warming, or any other number of causes, the threats mostly come from human desire for more. Most people don’t recognize or care to see what’s going on, but those who work in wildlife rehabilitation see the consequences of our folly every day.

I am thrilled that this film will give viewers a far and wide glimpse into the world of bird rehabbers, who are true heroes wherever they work in the world. And it is wonderful that the judges at Sundance and Cannes saw something unusual Everything Breathing.

A Sundance jury wrote: “This poetic film delivers an urgent political story while creating a singular and endearing portrait of the protagonists fighting a seemingly inevitable ecological catastrophe – with hilarious almost tinged with a dispassionate description of the animal kingdom.”

And in the awarding of The Golden Eye (golden eyes), the top prize for documentary films at Cannes, the jury said:

“Golden Eye goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life is important, and every small action is important. You can take your camera, you can save a bird , you can catch a few moments of stolen beauty, it’s important. It’s an inspirational journey watching the three Don Quixotes who may not save the whole world but save their world.”

Watch the trailer for ‘All That Breaches’

Upcoming releases for ‘All That Breathes’

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