Shaunak Sen’s documentary film All That Breathes has won the top L’OEil d’Or (The Golden Eye) award at the Cannes Film Festival. The doc, about siblings Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad in Delhi who rescue and treat injured birds, was screened at the festival earlier this week.
It had previously won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary category at the Sundance Film Festival. It has been acquired by HBO Documentary Films and will be available on HBO Max in 2023.
“L’OEil d’Or goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters. You can grab your camera, you can save a bird, you can hunt for some moments of stealing beauty, it matters,” the Cannes the jury said in a note shared on the L’OEil d’Or website.
“It’s an inspirational journey in observation of three Don Quijotes who may not save the whole world but do save their world.” In 2021, filmmaker Payal Kapadia won the award for her documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing.