Cinema Studies – Documentary

“Birders:  The Central Park Effect” (Documentary)

This movie reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds who grace Manhattan’s celebrated patch of green and the equally colorful full of attitude New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration.  Acclaimed author Jonathan Franzen, an idiosyncratic trombone technician, a charming fashion-averse teenager, a bird tour leader who has recorded every sighting she has made since the 1940s are among the film’s cast pf characters.  Featuring spectacular wildlife footage, capturing the changing seasons, this lyrical documentary transports the viewer to a dazzling world that goes all but unnoticed by the 38 million people who visit America’s most famous park each year.  Directed and Written by Jeffrey Kimball, this film received two nominations.  (2012, 1hr 1min)