The Birds

Feature (73′) • Fiction • Portugal

2025


Writer & Director
Pedro Magano

Original title
As Aves (PT)

Adapted from
Mia Couto

Production company
PIXBEE (PT)

Genres
Drama
Magical realism
Fantasy

SYNOPSIS

Isolated in a lifeless estuary with muddy banks, an old man who despises the gods lives alone, his only companion a caged cockatiel. To the bird, he confides his dreams of escaping his monotonous routine and founding a city where humans and birds can live freely. When Death and Time appear unexpectedly, their existences intertwine in a game of power and mystery.

Inspired by Mia Couto’s tale ‘A Morte, o Tempo e o Velho’ and Aristophanes’ play ‘The Birds’, this surreal fable delves into the relationship between humans, gods, and time, exploring the cycles of life and the quest for freedom.

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Cast
Gustavo Sumpta
Mafalda Rocha

Production
Pedro Sá

Cinematography
Manuel Pinto Barros

Sound Direction
Duarte Ferreira

Art Direction
Ângelo Costa

Costumes
Paula Gomes
Branca Sarabando

Make-up & Hair
Ana Nunes

Editing
Nuno Rocha
Pedro Magano

Sound Mixing
Maurício D’orey

Visual Effects
Hugo Raposo
Élio Mateus

Color Grading
Pedro Negrão


FESTIVAL SELECTIONS

IN THE PALACE International Film Festival 2025, Bulgaria
Avanca Film Festival 2025, Portugal
DjârFogo International Film Festival 2025, Cape Verde
Girona Film Festival 2025, Spain
Dhaka International Film Festival 2026, Bangladesh