WATCHING PEOPLE WATCHING BIRDS

The number and diversity of birds worldwide is declining dramatically. At the same time, more and more people are discovering the world of birds for themselves: they all have their own unique stories that led them to become birdwatchers. Looking through binoculars is also a search for something primal, unique, and true. In an almost magical way, this search seems to transfer to the viewer, as if one were leaving the cinema with heightened senses and entering another world. Our film turns its gaze away from the birds and back to the people who inspire us with their love of birds and their devotion to nature. We also meet the world-famous author Jonathan Franzen, who says: “One reason wild birds are so important (...) is that they represent our last, best connection to a natural world that is otherwise disappearing.” Humorous, serious, and environmentally controversial, the film uses cinematic images and intense soundscapes to paint a picture of a society in a state of crisis and upheaval. The film becomes a narrative of doubt and hope, life and death, staying and disappearing. And the birds become, in an intoxicating, almost eerie way, a metaphor for the state of the world.

Ulrike Franke & Michael Loeken photos © Filmproduktion Loekenfranke