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“All That Breathes” Wins Cannes Film Festival L’Oeil d’Or Award for Best Documentary

Chevy Chase, Maryland (May 28, 2022) — “All That Breathes,” directed by Shaunak Sen, won the prestigious L’Oeil d’Or Award for Best Documentary at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Set in the polluted city of New Delhi, “All That Breathes” follows Nadeem and Saud, two brothers living in a working-class Muslim neighborhood, who have devoted their lives to a bird-the black kite. “All That Breathes” is a Submarine Deluxe and Sideshow release in association with HBO Documentary Films; a Kiterabbit Films and Rise Films production in collaboration with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios.

The film has been an audience favorite since its January premiere at the Sundance Film Festival where it took home the Grand Jury Award. It has received widespread acclaim for its striking cinematography, lyrical storytelling, and poignant message. The Hollywood Reporter said “All That Breathes” was “one of the more dreamily provocative documentaries” they’d ever seen, and The New York Times said, “there’s no denying the movie’s power.” The LA Times said the film was “beautifully observed,” and The Guardian called the film, a “poetic and beautiful tapestry.”

Award winning director Shaunak Sen expertly weaves the story of the black kite with the lives of Nadeem and Saud as they navigate a changing city while trying to save the birds they fell in love with as children. As the city faces unlivable levels of pollution and the political climate causes increased social unrest, Sen shows audiences the beauty of these captivating birds, making it easy to see why the two brothers fight so hard for their survival.

“I want to harness the enchantment of the sky. I want audiences to leave theaters and instinctively look up—to think of the sky and the birds in it as novel, wonderfully alien things,” said Sen. 

“We are delighted that the Cannes Film Festival judges have bestowed such an important honor on this beautiful film.” said Sean B. Carroll, head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. “We are so proud of the incredible team that has come together to share this inspirational story. We hope it will reach and move audiences around the world.”

The two brothers’ passion for saving these overlooked birds began when they brought an injured kite that fell from the sky to an animal hospital that turned it away because it was “non-vegetarian.” Entirely self-taught, they have successfully rehabilitated more than 20,000 of these remarkable raptors.

HBO Documentary Films recently acquired the worldwide television rights to the film and is set to broadcast it on HBO and HBO Max in 2023.

Credits:  Director, Shaunak Sen; Producers, Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer; Executive Producers, David Guy Elisco, Sean B. Carroll; Co-producer, Florrie Priest; Associate Producers, Sam Stanley, Guy Horlock; Editor, Charlotte Munch Bengtsen; Cinematography, Benjamin Bernhard, Riju Das, Saumyananda Sahi.

For more information about “All That Breathes” please visit allthatbreathes.com

About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios

HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company that crafts exceptional films where science is a lens for making sense of our world, while inspiring awe and wonder. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the studio, a vision of biologist and acclaimed author Sean B. Carroll, is uniquely positioned to shine a light on some of the most significant scientific challenges and breakthroughs of our time. Recent films include Emmy Award-winners The Serengeti Rules and The Farthest – Voyager In Space; Emmy-nominated Nature’s Fear Factor; Peabody Award winner Inventing Tomorrow; Ric Burns’ critically acclaimed documentary feature Oliver Sacks – His Own Life; and the 2022 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning and Cannes D’Oeil d’Or Award-winning documentary feature All That Breathes. To extend the reach and impact of each film project, the studio undertakes educational and public outreach efforts in partnership with mission-driven organizations. For more information, please visit WWW.TANGLEDBANKSTUDIOS.ORG.

About Rise Films

Rise is an Oscar® and Emmy® winning production company. Its productions include The Invisible War (Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner), The Interrupters (Emmy® winner), Icarus (Oscar® winner), KnuckleDreamcatcherWe Are TogetherRough Aunties and Who is Dayani Cristal? starring Gael García Bernal. Rise has produced films and television programs for broadcasters and partners including BBC, Channel 4, PBS, Showtime and HBO, which have gone on to win multiple awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Other clients and partners include Netflix, Hulu, ITV, Universal, the BFI and Film4.

The company recently produced The Human Factor (released by Sony Pictures Classics in 2021), Dror Moreh’s follow-up to his Oscar® nominated, The Gatekeepers; as well as The Art of Political Murder, a feature documentary for HBO, executive produced by George Clooney. Rise also produced David Osit's multi-award winning, Mayor, following the life and work of Musa Hadid, the mayor of Ramallah. Amongst other ongoing productions, Rise is wrapping a two-part documentary for HBO about the comedian George Carlin directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio and a six-part series for Sky Documentaries and NBC Universal.

About Submarine Deluxe

Submarine Deluxe, the theatrical distribution arm of Submarine Entertainment, specializes in releasing quality feature films & documentaries focusing on arts, pop culture, and social commentary. Past titles include I Called Him Morgan, Gilbert, Chasing Ice, Fire Music and Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict.