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Four years after Microcosmos, producer and director Jacques Perrin (Himalaya) has travelled around the world to produce a lavish, unconventional and visually breathtaking new documentary, inviting us to follow the flight of thirty species of migratory birds and to discover their seasonal ports of call.

There is no narrative, no in-depth explanation of what is being presented or why, and less than two minutes of voice-over. Rather, we are presented with a film whose strength relies completely on the image, and a power to provide meditation on the fragility of life and the breathtaking beauty of flight.

The Travelling Birds had the second highest budget for any film made in France in 2001, and involved years of preparation and technological innovation. The film-makers devised ingenious ways to fly alongside, above, below and in front of their subjects, from customized ultra-light craft to hot air balloons. In some instances, crews slept with birds or camped out for months on end waiting for key moments. The journeys depicted in the film span 40 countries and involved a crew of more than 450 people.

From the timeless outcrops of Monument Valley to the glacial crevasses of Iceland, and a brief (but haunting) sequence where a flock flies past the Manhattan skyline where the World Trade Centre towers still loom large, The Travelling Birds is a feast for the senses and a magnificent ode to life, nature and hope.

2001 France (92 min.)

Directed by Jacques Cluzaud & Michel Debats
Writing Credits: Jacques Perrin
Distributed by: Bac Films.