Ludovico Einaudi
Broken Wings
Broken Wings is a unique documentary music film that unveils the untold story of bird poaching in Southeast Asia.
The film captures the journey tropical birds make from forest to cage, revealing how forests are emptied on a massive scale, threatening more than 1,500 bird species with extinction. Yet, almost nobody knows about it.
The full film can be watched for free on Waterbear Network.
Directors & writers
Jorik Dozy & Sil van der Woerd
Producer
Alea Rahim
Cinematographer
Nicholas Chin
Credits
Film Directors & Editors
Jorik Dozy & Sil van der Woerd
Production Company
Studio Birthplace
Executive Producer
Sean Lin
Producer
Alea Rahim
Line Producer
Bayu Topan
Production Assistants
Marsya M. Johari
Theresa Cellona
Researcher
Theresa Cellona
Director of Photography
Nicholas Chin
1st AC
Sandra Cheah
2nd AC
Skaiste Kazragyte
Campaign Advisor &
Photographer
Paul Hilton
Singapore Researchers
Daniaal Adam
Yap Suat Honk
Sound Designer
Joe Wills
Grade
No. 8 London
Colourist & Visual Effects
Alex Gregory
Dylanne Powell
NGO Partner
Thrive Conservation
With Thanks to
M3 Films
Piano
Ludovico Einaudi
Violin
Federico Mecozzi
Cello
Redi Hasa
Ponderosa Music
Titti Santini
Stefania Nepi
Stefano Chiabrando
Piero Tudisco
“Low Mist”
(Ludovico Einaudi)
Courtesy of Ponderosa Music Records
& Universal Music Group
© Chester Music Ltd
WATERBEAR NETWORK 2023
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Impact
1.8m
Views across platforms
$12k
Raised for non-profit
7
International Awards
38+
Film Festival Appearances
Birds in Crisis
Globally, 49% of bird species are declining, one in eight are threatened with extinction.
You might have never thought about it, but where does your pet bird come from? Bird poaching is a global problem that has devastating consequences for ecosystems and biodiversity. Southeast Asia is home to over one fifth of global bird species. This richness has brought about large-scale wildlife trafficking throughout the region to fulfill demand for the pet trade.
In an effort to raise awareness on this critical issue, nature focused WaterBear Network and Studio Birthplace teamed up with renowned composer Ludovico Einaudi to tell this story.
"A wild bird in a cage isn't cute or fun, it's a symbol of robbed freedom, suffering, torn families and destruction of ecosystems." Directors Jorik Dozy & Sil van der Woerd
Directors Jorik Dozy & Sil van der Woerd
The Campaign
Veteran conservation photojournalist Paul Hilton first brought the issue of bird poaching to the attention of the team at Studio Birthplace while they were filming a documentary in SouthEast Asia. Paul, whose striking images captured the immense suffering caused by the bird trade, is one of the leading voices raising awareness for the cause.
Together with the release of the film, a social media campaign was launched with critical data facts and other important information about the trade to further educate the audience.
The Report
The pre-export mortality rate of wild birds in the trade is up to 90%. Every year, millions of wild birds are taken from their natural habitat and forced to spend the rest of their lives in cages.
To comprehend the vastness of the poaching industry in Southeast Asia, Thrive Conservation compiled a detailed report for the campaign on it's current state.
Ludovico Einaudi
Being one of the most ubiquitous contemporary composers of the century and the highest-streamed classical pianist of all time, Ludovico Einaudi previously brought attention to the protection of the Arctic Ocean. Now, Einaudi shares his platform to bring attention to the issue of wild bird trafficking.
"Music has the ability to transcend language barriers and connect with people on a deep emotional level, raising awareness on important issues and having a positive impact on the world. With nearly half of the world's wild bird species in decline, and one in eight at risk of extinction, we must stop the trafficking of wild birds. Let's leave them free, let's keep them out of cages."
Ludovico Einaudi
Production
The team at Studio Birthplace, helmed by directors Jorik Dozy and Sil van der Woerd, set out to capture the story of what a single bird experiences from being captured in the wild, to ending up in a cage as a pet bird. The team conducted extensive on-the-ground research to reveal the shocking methods used to capture and transport birds. To tell the story as accurately as possible, the team followed a real bird poacher for several days and filmed in three wildlife markets.
Broken Wings was filmed over a period of 7 days. Using only natural light, cinematographer Nicholas Chin braved the challenges of filming in a rainforest during monsoon season to capture stunning footage of the bird trade in action.The birds that were poached while filming were released back into the wild at the end of the shoot.
