Filmmaker Shaunak Sen's documentary 'All That Breathes' has won the prestigious Golden Eye Award, which is also known as the L'Oeil d'Or, at the ongoing 75th Cannes Film Festival. The documentary's rights were recently acquired by HBO Documentary Film.
The film documents the lives of siblings Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who have dedicated their lives towards rescuing injured birds, especially the black kites. The function from their basement in Delhi's Wazirabad area. According to Hindustan Times, the award includes a cash prize of 5,000 euros ( ₹4.16 lakh approximately).
The Golden Eye jury, composed of Agnieszka Holland, Iryna Tsilyk, Pierre Deladonchamps, Alex Vicente and Hicham Falah, said in a statement, “The Golden Eye goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters. You can grab your camera, you can save a bird, you can hunt for some moments of stealing beauty, it matters. It’s an inspirational journey in observation of three Don Quixotes who may not save the whole world but do save their world.”
'All That Breathes' had earlier won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
In 2021, filmmaker Payal Kapadia won the L'Oeil d'Or for her documentary 'A Night of Knowing Nothing'. The Mumbai-based filmmaker’s first feature bagged the prestigious prize in a formidable field made up of 28 documentaries presented across various sections of the festival.
