Directed by Samy Benammar

Logline: In 1987, the song of the kauaʻi ʻōʻō, an endemic bird of Hawaii, was recorded for the last time. To the rhythm of its song, super 8 images build a chaotic landscape.

Synopsis: In 1987, the song of thekauaʻi ʻōʻō, a bird endemic to Hawaii, is recorded for the last time. Its song serves as the starting point for a visual exploration of the landscape and the winged creatures inhabiting it. Mostly shot on location, the film is a visual poem caught between the chaos of disappearance and the calm of an aerial melody that takes us on a journey through seasons and territories.

Distribution Contact: WFG

More Details

RUNTIME: 4 Minutes
GENRE: Documentary, Experimental
PRODUCTION FORMAT: Super 8mm
LANGUAGE: English
LOCATION: Quebec
TECHNIQUES: Time Lapse, Choreographed, In-camera editing
KEYWORDS: Birds, Instinct, Nature, Tree, Visual Poetry, Super 8, Hawaii, Animal, Culturally Diverse Filmmaker

Director's Statement: The first images of the film were shot during the lockdown on the balcony of my apartment. Every morning I shot a few stills while drinking my coffee. As the weeks went by, these images became an ode to the loneliness of these birds gathered on the branches. At the end of the winter, I went in search of other animals in the north of France, on the top of the mountains or in the desert of Algeria. Accompanied by the song of all the disappeared birds, by the murmur of a winter depression and the dawning hope of a warm spring, my hands tighten on the camera, try to fly away.