Zik Zak Filmworks is proud to announce that Runar Runarsson’s Smáfuglar (2 Birds english titel) has been selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Only 9 out of approximately 5000 short films made it to the competition.
The Official selection can be seen here
The short is an unflinching look at the painful transition from childhood to the stark reality of adulthood. The story is simple in itself about a group of kids looking for some escapism, which has some terrible repercussions. Runar’s writing is filled with great observations and under his direction the teenagers turn out to be real characters, and not saturated by the nostalgic reminences of adulthood, as so often is the case. They drink, they long, they curse, have a rich and complicated inner life, yet they lack experience and the maturity to be fully independent individuals. Relatively inexperienced actors cast the main roles, but their portrayals are so emotionally mature and delicately nuanced in every longing glance and nervous tick, that watching them in their fragile roles transcends the experience of watching professional actors do the same.
Although the surroundings and story are completely different, thematically it is a companion piece to Runar’s award winning and Oscar nominated short, The Last Farm, where the main protagonist makes the ultimate sacrifice out of love. In that way, 2 Birds is a logical next step in the prolific collaboration between Runar and Zik Zak Filmworks and the second film in their Crossroad Trilogy.
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