The air in New Delhi is so polluted that birds of prey are falling from the skies. Notable amongst the casualties are the megacity’s ubiquitous black kites—so named for their ability to gracefully soar. Two brothers from a Muslim family—former bodybuilders Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud—have dedicated the past two decades of their lives to taking in over 20,000 black kites through the Wildlife Rescue clinic that they established in their garage. Treating record numbers of ill and injured birds, Nadeem, Saud, and their endearingly curious volunteer assistant Salik strive to keep the operation afloat despite understaffing and funding issues. Meanwhile, political tensions loom over their neighbourhood as ominously as the smog.
Bolstered by incredible soundscapes and breathtaking cinematography that casts Delhi’s ecology in an otherworldly light, Shaunak Sen’s sophomore documentary provides intriguing insights into animals’ behavioural adaptations to a polluted urban environment. A deeply moving story of devotion to birds, All That Breathes delivers a powerful meditation on the climate crisis and the interconnectedness of all living organisms.
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Sundance 2022; Oeil d’or Award for Best Documentary, Cannes 2022
Media Partner
India/USA/UK
2022
In Hindi with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
No Other Land
Deemed by many critics one of the essential films of 2024, a multiple festival award winner and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land is a reminder that mass expulsion is by no means a new reality for Palestinians.
Sugarcane
"Deeply impactful", Sugarcane is an important contribution to the ongoing process of Truth & Reconciliation in this country, a compassionate, sensitive account of the investigation into residential school abuse at Williams Lake, BC.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.
The Stand
This rousing doc explores a 1985 dispute over logging in the Haida Gwaii. Taking us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action, director Chris Auchter employs animation and a wealth of archival footage to riveting effect.
There's Still Tomorrow
A critical and box office sensation in Italy, Paola Cortellesi's triumphant directorial debut is the tale of a Roman housewife in 1946, who stands up against the routine sexist abuse she suffers. Funny, heartbreaking and inspiring.
Housewife of the Year
This gently mind-blowing doc revisits the glory days of the long-running Irish TV show Housewife of the Year, where women proudly showed off their capacity to keep multiple kiddies fed and clothed, usually with minimal help from their hubbies.
Credits
Executive Producer
David Guy Elisco, Sean B. Carroll
Producer
Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer
Cinematography
Benjamin Bernhard, Riju Das, Saumyananda Sahi
Editor
Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
Original Music
Roger Goula
Director
Shaunak Sen
Shaunak Sen is a filmmaker and film scholar based in New Delhi, India. Cities of Sleep (2016), his first feature-length documentary, was shown at various international film festivals including DOK Leipzig, DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, and the Taiwan International Documentary Festival, and won six international awards. Sen received the IDFA Bertha Fund, the Sundance Documentary Grant, the Catapult Film Fund, the Charles Wallace Grant, the Sarai CSDS Digital Media fellowship, and the Films Division of India fellowship. He was also a visiting scholar at Cambridge University and has published academic articles in Bioscope, Widescreen, and other journals.
Filmography: Cities of Sleep (2016)