Skip to main content
Bird film image; woman floating in water

Bird

This event has passed

Street-smart 12-year-old Bailey (played by terrific newcomer Nykiya Adams) lives in a graffiti-tagged squat near the British seaside with her reckless half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and her heavily tattooed man-child father, Bug (a perfectly chaotic Barry Keoghan), who’s rushing into a wedding he can’t afford to a woman he barely knows. Adrift in the confusion of adolescence, Bailey finds a kindred spirit in a magnetic stranger named Bird (Franz Rogowski), whose quest to find his estranged family leads Bailey to confront her own mother’s abusive new boyfriend.

This touching coming-of-age drama from three-time Cannes Jury Prize-winning filmmaker Andrea Arnold (American Honey; Fish Tank) matches seasoned actors Keoghan and Rogowski with an authentic cast of first-time performers. With its inventive editing, killer soundtrack, and top-notch cinematography by Robbie Ryan (Poor Things), the film immerses us in the hidden beauty of North Kent through Bailey’s young eyes. The result is a tender portrait of girlhood on the fringes, with a magical realist twist.

Captioned Screening
The Wednesday, Nov 20 screening is part of a new series on Wednesday afternoons aimed at those who are hard of hearing, screening new releases with subtitles or (when available) open captions.

An often shimmering, lovely, and emotionally generous entry in a career that’s never faltered.

Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire

This is what Arnold is so great at capturing: people just doing their best, which often means they surpass every expectation without even knowing it. Her generosity toward her characters is also generosity toward us.

Stephanie Zacharek, Time magazine

There are distinct Frank Capra vibes in this brilliantly barmy dramedy from Andrea Arnold.

Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Director

Andrea Arnold

Cast

Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Nykiya Adams

Credits
Country of Origin

UK/USA/France/Germany

Year

2024

Language

English

19+
119 min
Ad Vitam Production, Arte France Cinema, House Productions

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Executive Producer

Claude Amadeo, Mollye Asher, Len Blavatnik, Jessamine Burgum, Danny Cohen, Michael D’Alto, Kara Durrett, Randal Sandler, Chris Triana, Eva Yates

Producer

Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Lee Groombridge

Screenwriter

Andrea Arnold

Cinematography

Robbie Ryan

Editor

Joe Bini

Production Design

Maxine Carlier

Also Playing

The Gleaners and I

Dir. Agnès Varda
82 min

This lovely essay film about the art of foraging is also a self portrait of the artist at 72.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The Miracle Worker

Dir. Arthur Penn
107 min

Academy Awards went to Best Actress Anne Bancroft and Best Supporting Actress Patty Duke for their moving portrayals of Annie Sullivan and her remarkable blind and deaf pupil, Helen Keller. "A film that storms where most biopics respectfully tiptoe."

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

In the Mood for Love

Dir. Wong Kar-wai
107 min

Wong Kar-wai's most acclaimed and popular film is a love story about two neighbours (Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung) who are drawn together by the long absences of their respective spouses + a newly released short companion piece from 2001.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

In the Heat of the Night

Dir. Norman Jewison
110 min

Sidney Poitier in an indelible role a Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs, pulled in as a murder suspect when changing trains in Mississippi. He allies with bigoted local sheriff (Rod Steiger) to solve the case.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre