Birdlime – A film by Evan DeRushie
Birdlime is the story of a bird becomes trapped in birdlime, the sticky substance spread on tree branches to capture wild birds for export, but it manages to escape the exotic bird trade industry. Yet it still remains trapped in a cage, surrounded by unfamiliar sounds and un-birdlike creatures.
Birdlime won Best Animated Short at the 2017 Arizona International Film Festival
Crédits
Made with financial support from:
Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council
Puppets: Brenda Baumgarten
Art Director: Winston Hacking
Composer: Bram Gielen
Sound: Marcel Ramagnano
Gibberish lead: Helen Donnelly
Gibberish performers: Laura Harris, Andrew Gaboury, Phil Koole, Helen Donnelly
Armatures: Mike Emiglio, Brenda Baumgarten
Costumes: Bonnie Burns
Vocals: Robin Dann, Ghislain Aucoin, Bram Gielen
Drums: Nico Dann
Guitar: Matt Smith
Colourist: Zachary Cox
Online editor: Andres Landau
Development support by
The National Film Board of Canada
Studio space provided by
PixFilm
Production support by
The Toronto Animated Image Society (tais.ca)
Reproduced on this channel with the permission of the filmmaker
Awards
8th Providence Children’s Film Festival — Special Jury Prize – BEST SHORT —
26th Arizona International Film Festival — Best Animated Short —
2nd Stop Motion Barcelona Short Film Festival — Audience Award —
7th Northwest Animation Festival — Audience Choice Award —
10th Heart of Gold International Film Festival — Nominated for Best Sound Design —
46th Festival du nouveau cinema of Montreal — P’tits loups Award Special Mention —
1st CRAFT International Animation Festival — Audience Choice Award —
35th International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino!
— GOLDEN GOAT Best Short Film for Children —
13th GIRAF Festival of Independent Animation — Canadian Audience Favourite —
18th MONSTRA Lisbon Animated Film Festival — Family Program Jury Special Prize —
3rd GLAS Animation Festival — Children’s Competition Special Mention —
20th Reel 2 Real International Film Festival — Best Animated Short —
11th edition of the Ecozine Film Festival — Best Animated Short Film —
46th Animafest Zagreb — Best Film for Children —
11th Fest Anca International Animation Festival — Kid’s Award —
7th Brasil Stop Motion International Film Festival — Best Stop Motion for Children (children’s jury) —
10th Festival Stop Motion Montreal — Public Prize —
Production Notes
Birdlime is the name for a sticky substance, usually made from holly bark or mistletoe, which is spread on branches to trap wild birds intended for export or trade.
This is my second short film as a director. It is inspired by the effect of the media on our perception of exotic animal ownership. It has played in a number of film festivals so far in 2017 (listed below).
I made this film thanks to financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council. It was shot over the course of 9 months at PixFilm studios, with equipment supplied by The Toronto Animated Image Society. Post-production services, like sound design, colour correction and DCP creation, were supplied by Victory Social Club.
Every year millions of animals are taken from their homes and sold as part of the exotic pet trade. Filmmaker Evan DeRushie looks to shine a light on this global issue with his family-friendly stop-motion Birdlime. Named after the adhesive substance trappers put on branches to catch birds, this engaging eleven-minute short tells the story of one animal who initially manages to escape his captor, but still ends up imprisoned. Told from the perspective of the captive bird, DeRushie’s film aims to put its audience in the cage alongside the confused animal, so we can truly sympathise with its bewilderment.
Inspired to tackle the topic of exotic pet trade
Inspired to tackle the topic of exotic pet trade after he witnessed a caged bird in Thailand with a ‘no photo’ sign hung upon its unnatural home, DeRushie, after speaking to the man he thought owned it, was surprised to hear the photos could increase the demand for such animals and soon started to think about the role animation could play in this booming industry.
“I was thinking about the way that animals are represented in animation”, DeRushie explains, “and the effects in the real world (like how clown fish populations were decimated directly after Finding Nemo) and I started seeing animation as a powerful and scary tool. Especially since my previous film had a talking bird and fox in it. With this in mind, I tried to portray a respectful relationship between human and animal, and to treat the bird without too much anthropomorphism”.
Despite the seemingly heavy topic, DeRushie should be praised for creating a film that carries a strong message, but still remains a hugely entertaining and charming watch. Seasoned with splashes of humour and featuring some stellar production (the character design and practical transitions are particular highlights), it’s not often you get a film that can truly be enjoyed by the whole family, to the same extent us short film geeks dig it.
After a prestigious festival run, where Birdlime picked up awards at GLAS and Animafest Zagreb, the popular short has had a somewhat under-the-radar online release. Amassing just over 1000 views since becoming freely available online, this is a film that demands more attention, a short perfect for internet viewing – if you haven’t already watched it…watch it now.