The documentary 'All That Breathes' by director Shaunak Sen is set to be screened at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. The documentary has been acquired by HBO and Sen said that it was a proud moment for him.
'All That Breathes' won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. It is set to be screened at the Special Screening segment at Cannes and will be released in the US late this year by Submarine Deluxe, in association with Sideshow.
After its release in the US, the 90-minute-long documentary will debut on HBO and streaming service HBO Max in 2023, according to Variety.
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It follows two siblings, Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who have devoted their lives to rescuing and treating injured birds, especially Black Kites.
The Delhi-based brothers, working out of their derelict basement in Wazirabad, are the central focus of the film and their story zooms out to document a larger snapshot of the city, where the air is toxic and the ground is on a slow-burn of social turmoil.
"The astonishing story of Saud and Nadeem, and their relationship with the majestic raptor called the ‘black kite,’ took us three years to shape. Over time, the story became symptomatic of both Delhi’s ecological and social malaise, while also giving glimpses of a rare resilience," Sen said.
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The Jamia Millia Islamia University and Jawaharlal Nehru University alumnus filmmaker said he is thrilled that his film has joined the HBO roster, which is filled with high-quality cinematic programming.
"Most of us in the crew in India have grown up associating the unmistakable white noise of the HBO logo with high-quality cinematic programming. We’re thrilled to join their roster and to work with Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe to bring this story to a global audience," he added.
Dan Braun of Submarine Deluxe praised "All That Breathes" as "one of the great discoveries of the year".
"Filled with humorous and heartbreaking moments in equal measure, ‘All That Breathes’ is a stunning achievement and announces Shaunak Sen as a major voice in cinema today. We are proud to partner with HBO Documentary Films to bring the film to the public," Braun said.
The film is produced by Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer with David Guy Elisco and Sean B Carroll serving as executive producers.
With Inputs From PTI
