In Portuguese with English subtitles · Recommended for ages 7 and up
This gorgeous film from Brazil uses a mix of oil painting, line drawing, and computer animation to tell an imaginative children’s tale with potent political undertones. Tito loves helping his father with his inventions. But Tito’s mom, always a skeptic, worries that something will go terribly wrong. Their latest experiment is a machine that can understand birds – but when the contraption starts smoking and sparking, Tito is injured, and his mom decides that for Tito’s safety, his father must leave. Years later, people start falling ill and an epidemic begins to spread: the cause, Tito determines, is fear. Recalling his father’s research, Tito suspects that the cure must lie in understanding birdsong, and along with his friends Sarah and Buiú – and some help from the city’s pigeon population – he sets out to find his father and complete the research before it’s too late.
Tito and the Birds Gabriel Bitar is an animator, painter, and photographer based in São Paulo. He has directed the short film The City and Desire Nº5 (2010). Tito and the Birds (2018) is his first feature film.
Titi and the Birds André Catoto was born in Rio de Janeiro. He is the director of the films Segredo (2008) and Say I am Only Seventeen (2015). Tito and the Birds (2018) is his first feature.
Tito and the Birds Gustavo Steinberg was born in São Paulo and works as a producer, screenwriter, and director. His films include End of the Line (2008). Tito and the Birds (2018) is his latest feature.
