While at the 50th Directors Fortnight at Cannes, this film by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra secured its distribution in the United States with the help of distribution company the Orchard.
Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) unfolds during the era known as the Bonanza Marimbera when exporting marijuana to the United States became a lucrative business that would leave its mark on Colombia for decades to come. In the Guajira, a Wayúu Indigenous family experiences firsthand the consequences of the clash between ambition and honor. Their culture, traditions and lives are threatened by a war between brothers, the consequences of which will be felt the world over.
Birds of Passage received critical acclaim as the opening film at the 50th Directors’ Fortnight. Director and producer Cristina Gallego took part in the march for equality and diversity in the film industry led by Cate Blanchett, and during the festival distribution of the film in the United States was confirmed following negotiations between the Orchard and Films Boutique, which will now represent the film on the international stage. The announcement was made by Paul Davidson, vice president of the US company, who told the international publication Variety that “Birds of Passage swept us up immediately into an engrossing familial drama surrounded by a world bursting with stunning color and sound. Cristina and Ciro have delivered something altogether special and unique that we are honored to be part of.”
Cristina Gallego founded the production company Ciudad Lunar along with Ciro Guerra and during her career she has produced the feature films Wandering Shadows (La sombra del caminante, 2004), The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento, 2009) and Embrace of the Serpent (El abrazo de la serpiente, 2015), all three directed by Ciro Guerra, as well as Edificio Royal by Iván Wild. Her co-productions include the documentary El viaje del acordeón by Andrew Tucker and Rey Sagbini and the film Cecilia.
After directing four short films which earned him several awards at festivals, Ciro Guerra wrote and directed his directorial debut Wandering Shadows (La sombra del caminante) which was selected for over 60 film festivals around the world including Cannes, Tribeca, Seoul, Bangkok, Seattle, Rio de Janeiro and Guadalajara and won 15 awards and mentions in festivals including San Sebastián, Toulouse, Trieste, Mar del Plata, Varsovia, Austin, Quito, Santiago, Cartagena and Havana. He then directed his second feature film The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento) and at the Directors’ Fortnight in 2015 premiered Embrace of the Serpent (El abrazo de la serpiente), which was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2016.
Birds of Passage is a co-production between Colombia, Mexico, France and Denmark and is produced by Cristina Gallego and Katrin Pors and the production houses Ciudad Lunar and Blond Indian Films, in co-production with Snowglobe, Pimienta Films and Films Boutique and in association with Caracol Television, Cine Colombia, Dago García Productions, Bord Cadre and Labodigital.
