Birdeater

From first time filmmaker duo Jack Clark and Jim Weir comes a darkly comic, psychological thriller, BIRDEATER, releasing in Australian cinemas from July 18

Launching from its festival success in sell out sessions at SXSW Austin, Melbourne International Film Festival and Cinefest Oz to a glowing critical response and receiving the Audience Award for Best Australian Narrative Feature at Sydney Film Festival, BIRDEATER is set to thrill with a classic Australian aesthetic and iconography.

SYNOPSIS: A nervous bride-to-be (Shabana Azeez) is invited to her own fiancé's (Mackenzie Fearnley) bucks party, but when uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, the night takes a feral turn.

Taking inspiration from Australian new wave cinema, BIRDEATER is an unapologetic look at how Australia's iconic masculinity identity has become incompatible with contemporary gender politics. Bringing outback cinema to the North Shore private schoolboy, it comments on co-dependency in both romantic relationships and platonic friendships in an iconic bush location peppered with nangs, joyrides and ketamine.

BIRDEATER is produced by Breathless Films, a company established by Ulysses Oliver and Ben Ferris in 2020 as a response to the lack of support for independent and emerging filmmakers in Australia. Breathless Films serves as a platform for a new wave of diverse, indie spirited feature films. Their first film, Lonesome, was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Indie Film in 2022.

Ulysses Oliver has said "Told from the Australian male perspective, the story draws us in to feel like one of the boys, only to turn and make us feel culpable. This film is not just an entertaining, feral, genre-bending joyride; it's a necessary conversation to foster understanding and change."

Also producing the film is Stephanie Troost, who commented: "BIRDEATER tells a gripping story that delves into the complex nature of toxic masculinity and the more insidious ways it hides within social circles. It not only reveals this, but it asks questions of all those that ignore it. This is a story that challenges the morals of all the characters, and that is what drew me into the script."

Directors Jim Clark and Jack Weir have said "We've been amazed to see our film resonate so deeply with audiences around the world, despite being so specific to Australia. BIRDEATER is an intense, wild, and challenging film, and we're delighted to finally be screening in Aussie cinemas."

Birdeater in Cinemas July 18, 2024