The Messenger
Directed by Su Rynard
The Messenger
For thousands of years, songbirds were regarded by mankind as messengers from the gods. Today, these creatures have woven inextricably into the fabric of our environment and are vanishing at an alarming rate. Under threat from climate change, pesticides and more, populations of hundreds of species have dipped dramatically. As scientists, activists and bird enthusiasts investigate this phenomenon, amazing secrets of the bird world come to light for the first time in the acclaimed and visually thrilling documentary The Messenger. Find out what's killing our songbirds, and what can be done about it. As in ancient times, songbirds may once again be carrying a message to humans - one that we ignore at our own peril.
Reviews
"The arguments are persuasive, the message from the birds powerful, and the film a rich and satisfying call to action that is presented with some novel ideas for how to restore the ecological balance." - The New York Times Critics' Pick
"According to Su Rynard's provocative and beautiful documentary The Messenger, today's songbirds are delivering us a message of global proportion: Modernity is killing them, and if we don't do something soon, it might destroy us, too." - LA Weekly
"Traveling the world to spotlight challenges and solutions, filmmaker Su Rynard never loses sight of the [songbirds'] sheer beauty, or their emotional and symbolic pull as perceived intermediaries between the earthly and spiritual." - The Hollywood Reporter
Awards
BEST CONSERVATION PROGRAM - Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
Top Ten Audience Award - Hot Docs
Special Jury Award - Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival
Special Mention for Best Documentary - CinemAmbiente
Best Environmental Film Prize - Festival de l'Oiseau et de la Nature, Abbeville Cedex /France 2016
Winner: Best of Fest - International Wildlife Film Festival Missoula, Montana
Winner: Best Theatrical Feature - International Wildlife Film Festival Missoula, Montana
Nominated for Best Cinematography in a Feature Documentary - Canadian Screen Awards
Nominated for Best Editing in Feature Documentary - Canadian Cinema Editors Award
Opening Friday June 3rd at' @BAMfilmBrooklyn' and' @quadcinema'!' https://t.co/eTZqyFOWDA'' https://t.co/UaUX1g7HN3'
RT' @anniezaleski': thank you' @KinoLorber'! Been waiting DECADES for ‘Times Square’ on DVD—I own the soundtrack on cassette and LP. Movie star…
RT' @teamalex': It took me a minute to get into this film from Panah Panahi, but once I started to understand, I was straight up rapt. https:…
RT' @gicinema': June 10-15:' @SaulWilliams's' Afrofuturist sci-fi punk musical #NeptuneFrost! Co-pres by' @blackcinemacltv'. “The future of Blac…
RT' @indiememphis': A queer Afrofuturist portrait of resistance set in the hilltops of Burundi, Cannes selection #NeptuneFrost follows an int…
RT' @MayslesCinema':' @SaulWilliams'' @dreamstatesmeta' "Set between states of being – past + present, dream + waking life, colonized + free, mal…
RT' @SaulWilliams': NEPTUNE FROST premieres in NYC June 3rd & nationwide on June 10th! Find a theater near you 👇🏿' https://t.co/eiJVz67TnA' &…
RT' @MayslesCinema': Wednesday #IntheCinema, a sneak peak, free screening of the visually stunning afro-futurist vision that is Neptune Frost…
RT' @SaulWilliams': 🎬on set of Neptune Frost 📸 @chris_schwagga' https://t.co/0yskkPHabZ'
RT' @IkusaOne': I never thought in a million years that not only would the dollars trilogy get 4K restorations but be released entirely uncut…
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