“We read about these two brothers who had saved over 25,000 black kites so far. They were the first ones we interviewed and we stuck with them. Even their crammed and damp basement where they work is inherently cinematic. The story as a whole was like a trifecta of the ecological aspect in a poetic and lyrical form,” says Sen over a telephonic chat from Tel Aviv.

Director Shaunak Sen says he finds the relationship between a human and bird hypnotic

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This is not the first time that the documentary has found itself under the spotlight. In January, it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The praise that the film received from the jury at Cannes is also noteworthy. “L’OEil d’Or goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters. You can grab your camera, you can save a bird, you can hunt for some moments of stealing beauty, it matters. It’s an inspirational journey in observation of three Don Quixotes who may not save the whole world but do save their world,” read the note shared by the jury on the official website.

The director, who is still processing the win and the praise coming his way, says it was humbling even being nominated along some of the best documentary makers. All That Breathes competed against Chilean documentarian Patricio Guzman’s My Imaginary Country, which looks at mass protests that exploded in Santiago in 2019 when citizens took to the streets demanding better democracy and social equality; and, Ethan Coen’s Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind, which presents the story of the great wild man of rock and roll Lewis, among other films.

“This was an unusually difficult film to make, taking over three years and alongside deep personal losses for the crew. We’re thrilled that the film is getting these honours.” 

Interestingly, the documentary has had three cinematographers working on it at different stages, something that Sen feels worked in its favour. “Initially, it was Saumyananda Sahi but when the shooting schedule did not match his timeline, we got Riju Das on board. He added a visual grammar to the film with his tilt and pan shots. We were also extremely lucky to work with Ben Bernand, a German filmmaker, who changed the visual grammar with his long cut shots, adding a stillness to the film, which aptly depicts the passage of time,” he shares.

Before setting off to attend yet another panel at the Docaviv International Documentary Film FestivalTel Aviv, Sen admits being overjoyed with the response coming his way for the big win. “Congratulatory messages have also been pouring from actors and filmmakers like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Ranveer Singh, Shekhar Kapoor; responses from Vikram Aditya Motwane and Anand Gandhi have been extremely warm.”