Filmmaker Shaunak Sen’s documentary All That Breathes, India’s only entry at Cannes Film Festival 2022 has won the 2022 L’Oeil d’Or, the festival’s top award for documentaries. All That Breathes follows the lives of siblings Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad who, working out of their derelict basement in Delhi‘s Waziabad, rescue and treat injured birds, especially the black kites. It recently had its premiere at Cannes in the special screening segment.
The world faces an environmental catastrophe with unusual global warming and deathly pollution. Some feel that the current coronavirus pandemic may have its origins in the way we ill-treat our planet. As much as this is horribly harmful for humans, it also gravely threatens birds and beasts, and Shaunak Sen’s deeply moving documentary, All That Breathes, played at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on May 24.
This is the only Indian entry apart from two restored classics- Aravindra’s Thamp and Satyajit Ray’s Pratidwandi.
The documentary talks about two brothers who have made it their life mission to save kites. The work depicts in detail the brother’s patience and sacrifice. They face many impediments including lack of funds but they live in hope with a never-say-die attitude.
The narrative is warm and has a zing about it, it is not cold or matter of fact and this makes the documentary compelling. Aiding this is magnificent cinematography by Benjamin Bernhrd, Riju Das, and Saumyananda Sahi. Some of the shots are superb and the movie has many tender and compassionate moments that make this a great watch.
This 90-minute-long film reminds us that every life matters, and every action counts. The jury shares in a note, “It’s an inspirational journey of three Don Quijotes who may not save the whole world but do save their world.”
