Set in the highly polluted city of Delhi and filmed during a period of political violence, All That Breathes follows two brothers who run a homemade infirmary nursing black kites and other birds back to health. As teenage bodybuilders, the brothers learned about the structure of the human body and applied that knowledge to bandaging and healing the injured and sick birds that they found around the city, an activity they continue as adults while running a soap-dispenser business. Beautifully filmed and rendered with great empathy, the film is a testament to the power of human care to repair the damage we have inflicted on nature, the environment, and the countless species with whom we share the planet. In recognising the value of all life in an increasingly imperilled world, this Oscar-nominated documentary provides a model of gentle hope and optimism.
All That Breathes
As legions of birds fall from New Delhi’s darkening skies, and the city smolders with social unrest, two brothers race to save a casualty of the turbulent times: the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to their city's ecosystem.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA (2023) – Nominated: Oscar: Best Documentary Feature
American Society of Cinematographers, USA (2023) – Winner: Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Documentary Film
Asia Pacific Screen Awards (2022) – Winner: Best Documentary Feature Film
BAFTA Awards (2023) – Nominated: Best Documentary
BFI London Film Festival (2022) – Winner: Grierson Award: Best Documentary
Cannes Film Festival (2022) – Winner: Golden Eye (L’Œil d’Or): Best Documentary
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US (2023) – Winner: The Unforgettables
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US (2023) – Winner: Outstanding Cinematography
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US (2023) – Winner: Outstanding Nonfiction Feature
Cinema for Peace Awards (2023) – Winner: International Green Film Award
Gotham Awards (2022) – Winner: Gotham Independent Film Award: Best Documentary
Hong Kong Int'l Film Fest (2022) – Winner: Golden Firebird Award: Documentary
International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards (2022) – Winner: Pare Lorentz Award
International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards (2022) – Winner: Best Feature Documentary
International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards (2022) – Winner: Best Editing
International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards (2022) – Winner: Best Director
Jackson Wild Media Awards (2022) – Winner: Best Feature
Jackson Wild Media Awards (2022) – Winner: Best Editing
Krakow Film Festival (2022) – Winner: Silver Horn: Film with High Artistic Value
National Board of Review, USA (2022) – Winner: Top Five Documentaries
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (2023) – Winner: Best Documentary
Sundance Film Festival (2022) – Winner: Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema – Documentary
Valladolid International Film Festival (2022) – Winner: Tiempo de Historia Award: Best Documentary
Valladolid International Film Festival (2022) – Winner: Fundos Award
Press
“All That Breathes” is a subtle, haunting reflection on the meaning of humanity — on the breathtaking kindness and heartbreaking cruelty that define our wounded, intrepid, predatory species.
All That Breathes is determined to illustrate how two peoples’ failure to listen to each other is no different than one species’ failure to acknowledge the rest of its environment — that each aspect of Delhi is sharing the same broken conversation, whether they recognize that or not.
...this beautiful, meditative film about an Indian bird sanctuary is full of soul-transforming magic.
