BIRDSONG with CUMHA
Special Features: North American Premiere | Q&A with director Kathleen Harris
Ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, County Cork, is on a mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland — nearly 200 birds. Often joined by his partner, Alba, he travels to some of the country’s most beautiful and remote locations to capture its most elusive species and soundscapes: the busy seabird colony of Skellig Michael; a native woodland free from road noise in the Burren; the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island; a solitary nest in the Donegal uplands. Along the way, the film also turns its focus to Seán, whose hypersensitivity to sound has proven both a struggle and a strength. At once inspiring and cautionary, Seán’s journey illustrates the beauty and importance of sound and what listening can tell us about the state of our natural world. DIR Kathleen Harris; PROD Ross Whitaker, Aideen O’Sullivan. Ireland, 2024, color, 52 min. NOT RATED
Preceded by:
CUMHA
A personal exploration of the purpose of language and the loss that occurs when we no longer speak our native tongue. Through visits to places tied to her childhood and family, filmmaker Elena Horgan explores the connections between land, identity and language, reflecting on the question, “Without knowing my own language, am I missing a part of myself?” DIR/SCR/PROD Elena Horgan; SCR Siobhán Ní Dhomhnaill; PROD Ned Horgan. Ireland, 2023, color, 6 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 58 Minutes
Opening Date: Saturday, March 01, 2025
Genre: Documentary - environment