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Birds Like Us (Ptice kao mi)

Ajyal Competition

Synopsis

In the middle of a vast desert where The Horror holds sway, a society of flightless birds exists, tucked away in Birdabad, a giant tree. The birds are of two sorts: carnivores and fruit-eaters. Their fascistic leader, a vulture named Kondor, long ago instituted a gruesome ritual named the Egguilibrium, in which the fruit-eating birds hand over their eggs to the meat-eaters in exchange for fruit. One day, the lovely Huppu and her husband Hassan defy the system in order to save their rare chick, and a dreamlike adventure begins as the couple, Kondor and a chick named Mi are ejected from Birdabad.

There, they meet a mysterious blind bat called I, with whom they make a deal: if the birds will carry I during the day, he will carry the birds on his back during the night. So begins an ethereal journey through a bizarre yet beautiful universe, as the creatures team up to make their way to the place where the sun sets. Based on Persian poet Farid Ud-din Attar’s ‘The Conference of the Birds’, ‘Birds Like Us’ is a tale of acceptance and coming together to overcome differences – part comedy, part political allegory and featuring a visionary animated style.

About the Directors

Faruk Šabanović has directed numerous advertising campaigns, short films, music videos and animation projects, and has won several awards for his accomplishments, including a Special Mention for the development of ‘Birds Like Us’ from the Zagreb Animafest in 2007.

Amela Ćuhara is an award-winning director, screenwriter, and author. She has worked on several films, including ‘The Seeker’ (2008), ‘The Lady of the Lake’ (2009), ‘The Love Path’ (2013), ‘Behar’ (2014). Amela was a participant of Sarajevo Talent Campus, at the 2008 Sarajevo Film Festival. She is currently working on ‘Tindili’, a children's animated show, and ‘Initiation’, an animated short film.

Credits

Director

Faruk Šabanović, Amela Ćuhara

Screenwriter

Olivia Hetreed, Faruk Šabanović

Producer

Adnan Ćuhara

Editor

Nic Gastor

Executive Producer

Amela Ćuhara, Abigail Disney, Sherine Helmy, Olivia Hetreed, Cat Villiers

Music

Timothy Bruzon, Peter Gabriel

Cinematographer

Almir Đikoli

Production Company

Prime Time Production, Autonomous, Turkish Radio & Television, Fork Films

Sound

Eilam Hoffman

Cast

Alicia Vikander, Jeremy Irons, Jim Broadbent, Khalid Abdalla

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