Some independent films jump right out of the gate at Sundance, take another big step to Cannes, take in all kinds of critical acclaim and then roll into theaters before you know it. Others need to carve a more patient, but no less rewarding path, and that has been the case for “These Birds Walk.” It has spent the year traveling the festival circuit, hitting True/False, SXSW, BAM Cinemafest, Hot Docs and much more, picking up trophies along the way including the Minneapolis Best Documentary Award, Nashville Special Jury Prize and the Little Rock Social Impact Award. And now, it’s gearing up to arrive in cinemas later this fall.
Filmed over nearly three years by co-directors Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq, the docu-drama centers on Omar, a young runaway boy in Karachi, Pakistan who is torn between returning to his rural home or forging some kind of life on the urban streets of the big city. Some help arrives via Asad, an ambulance driver, and as you’ll see in this exclusive clip, he comes from a hardened background as well, and that has left the man a bit more pragmatic about the world around him.
Take a look at the clip below followed by the lovely new poster for the movie, which captures the beauty that is used to tell this gritty tale. “These Birds Walk” arrives on November 1st via Oscilloscope Laboratories.
