Project Detail

The Bird Catcher

Synopsis

After being torn away from her family, 14-year-old Esther must assume a new identity in order to navigate her survival on a remote snow bound farm amidst the hostility of Nazi-occupied Norway.
Trondheim, Norway, 1940s: Esther (14) had been enjoying a peaceful, middle-class existence with her Jewish parents under the German occupation. However, one night, German officers arrive and arrest Esther's father, Hans, on account of his Jewish background. Esther and her mother escape in a truck but soon run into a German patrol. Hidden in a chest Esther is the only serving refugee - finding herself utterly alone in the snow she runs for cover in the woods but soon succumbs to the cold. She sees and follows a local farm boy, Aksel (16) back to his parent's farm.
When the German patrol arrives at the farm Esther decides to escape. She runs through the forest where she stumbles upon the frozen body of her mother. Aksel finds Esther clutching her mother's dead body some time later, and leads her back to the farm. But it soon becomes apparent to Esther that she will never survive as a girl and she decides to transform herself into a young boy.

Details

Year
2018
Type of project
Features
Running time
100 mins
Format
Digital Alexa Anamorphic
Director
Ross Clarke
Producer
Leon Clarance, Lisa Black, Ross Clarke
Executive Producer
Laure Vaysse, Laura Brook, Jonathan Deckter
Editor
Laura Morrod, Nicolas Gaster
Screenwriter
Trond Morten Kristensen
Director of Photography
John Christian Rosenlund
Production Designer
Åsa Nilsson
Composer
Jim Copperthwaite
Principal cast
Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, August Diehl, Jakob Cedergren. Laura Birn
Film Images
© MPC / Ian Corless

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

UK, Norway coproduction

Motion Picture Capital (UK), Garnet Girl (US)

Ross Clarke

Sales Company

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