A Birder's Guide to Everything | |
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Directed by | Rob Meyer |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Tom Richmond |
Edited by | Vito DeSario |
Music by | Jeremy Turner |
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Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
A Birder's Guide to Everything is a 2013 independent film starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alex Wolff, Michael Chen, Katie Chang, James Le Gros, Daniela Lavender and Sir Ben Kingsley. [1] It was written by Rob Meyer and Luke Matheny and directed by Rob Meyer. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2013, [2] and was released in a limited release and through video on demand on March 21, 2014, by Screen Media Films and Focus Features. [3]
The film follows the story of teenage birders who go on a road trip to find the (possibly) extinct Labrador duck. It was based on Rob Meyer's short film "Aquarium" which won an Honorable Mention at Sundance in 2008. Kenn Kaufman was an ornithological consultant and appears in the film at approximately 74 minutes.
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2013. [2] Shortly after it was announced Screen Media Films and Focus Features had acquired distribution rights to the film. [4] The film went on to screen at the Austin Film Festival on October 26, 2013. [5] and was released in a limited release and through video on demand on March 21, 2014. [3]
The film opened to very positive reviews from critics. [6] It holds a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews. The New York Times described it as a "smart, likeable, coming of age film [...] an eye opener for anyone who takes the everyday natural world for granted." [7] USA Today wrote that "not since Rob Reiner's Stand by Me has such a compelling rite-of-passage film emerged." [8]
The Guardian wrote that "you don't have to be a birder to enjoy it. The movie shows that seeking the rare and elusive is often more than just a physical quest; it also is a spiritual journey that changes the seeker." [9]
Sir Ben Kingsley is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry. In 2010, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, he received the Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Filmed Entertainment.
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2002 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Until 2020, the festival was known as the Tribeca Film Festival.
Kodi Smit-McPhee is an Australian actor. He gained recognition as a child actor for his leading roles in The Road (2009) and Let Me In (2010). In 2021, Smit-McPhee garnered critical acclaim for his performance as Peter Gordon in Jane Campion's western film The Power of the Dog, for which he earned nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The Road is a 2009 American post-apocalyptic survival film directed by John Hillcoat and written by Joe Penhall, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The film stars Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as a father and his son in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Native New Yorker (2005) is the title of the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival Best Documentary Short by Steve Bilich.
Let Me In is a 2010 romantic horror film written and directed by Matt Reeves and starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Elias Koteas, and Richard Jenkins. It is a remake of the 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In. The film tells the story of a bullied 12-year-old boy who befriends and develops a romantic relationship with a female child vampire in Los Alamos, New Mexico, during the early 1980s.
Daniela Lavender, Lady Kingsley is a Brazilian actress, appearing on Brazilian television and on English-language television, film and stage, including touring with the British Shakespeare Company.
Matching Jack is a 2010 Australian drama film directed by Nadia Tass from a screenplay by Lynne Renew and David Parker, based on an unfilmed script by Renew entitled Love and Mortar.
Whole Lotta Sole is a 2012 independent criminal comedy film co-written and directed by Terry George and starring Brendan Fraser, David O'Hara, Colm Meaney, Yaya DaCosta and Martin McCann.
Young Ones is a 2014 action science fiction film directed and written by Jake Paltrow. The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Elle Fanning, Michael Shannon and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on 18 January 2014. The film was released on 17 October 2014 in the United States.
Slow West is a 2015 Revisionist Western film that was written and directed by John Maclean in his directorial debut. It stars Kodi Smit-McPhee as a young Scotsman searching for his lost love in the American West, accompanied by a bounty hunter played by Michael Fassbender. It premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2015, where it was awarded the Sundance Institute's World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic Winner.
Maya the Bee is a 2014 computer-animated comedy adventure film directed by Alexs Stadermann, loosely based on the 1975 anime Maya the Bee as well as indirectly the German children's book The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels. It features the voices of Coco Jack Gillies, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Noah Taylor, Richard Roxburgh, Jacki Weaver, Justine Clarke, The Umbilical Brothers, and Miriam Margolyes.
Wolves is a 2016 American sports drama film written and directed by Bart Freundlich and starring Michael Shannon, Carla Gugino, Taylor John Smith, Chris Bauer and John Douglas Thompson. The film was released on March 3, 2017, by IFC Films.
Lola Bessis is a French actress, screenwriter and director. She is known for the movie Swim Little Fish Swim, in which she acted and wrote the script.
The Kill Team is a 2019 American war drama film written and directed by Dan Krauss. It is a fictionalized adaptation of the Maywand District murders, which were also explored by Krauss's 2013 documentary of the same name. It stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nat Wolff, Rob Morrow, Adam Long, Jonathan Whitesell, Brian Marc, Osy Ikhile, and Anna Francolini. The film follows a young U.S. Army recruit (Wolff) who becomes conflicted with his morals when his platoon, under his superior, Sergeant Deeks (Skarsgård), participate in murdering civilians in Afghanistan.
The Power of the Dog is a 2021 revisionist Western psychological drama film written and directed by Jane Campion. It is based on Thomas Savage's 1967 novel of the same title. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Set in Montana and shot mostly within rural Otago, the film is an international co-production among New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
Ryan Silbert is an American filmmaker, writer, and producer, as well as the founder of Origin Story Entertainment, a multi-platform entertainment company with a global focus on storytelling. He is the producer of multiple award-winning films, including 2010 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film winner God of Love and 2012 Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short Drama winner Doubles with Slight Pepper.
2067 is a 2020 Australian science fiction film directed and written by Seth Larney from a treatment by Gavin Scott Davis, and starring Kodi Smit-McPhee and Ryan Kwanten.
Jonathan Schwartz is an American film producer and former entertainment lawyer, known for producing independent features. Schwartz's credits include Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), Douchebag (2010), Like Crazy (2011), Smashed (2012), Nobody Walks (2012), Breathe In (2013), Imperial Dreams (2014), and The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2017). Through his production label, Super Crispy Entertainment, most of Schwartz's works have screened, won awards and secured distribution at the Sundance Film Festival. Throughout his career, he has collaborated extensively with producer Andrea Sperling, director Drake Doremus and actor-producer Logan Lerman.
Television Event is an 2020 American-Australian documentary film, directed and produced by Jeff Daniels. It follows the making and release of The Day After, a film directed by Nicholas Meyer, which revolved around a nuclear war and was controversial upon release.