The Language of the Birds

The Language of the Birds is an atmospheric short film based on the third verse of the poem of the same name by Richard Siken. In this film, two cavepeople aim to illustrate their world through cave painting, and assess how they use art.

  • Cecil Eijgendaal
    Director
  • Egbert de Ruiter
    Producer
  • Tobi Springer
    Key Cast
    "Voiceover"
  • Richard Siken (Author of the poem used)
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Animation
  • Genres:
    Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 8, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    Netherlands
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Cecil Eijgendaal

Cecil Eijgendaal (they/them) is a recent animation graduate from the HKU with a fond passion for anything related to worldbuilding, TTRPGs and animation, and how stories can touch people. Anecdotally described as having a "terrifying work ethic".

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Director Statement

I made the Language of the Birds because I really wanted to rethread poems as inspiration for film. There's something fluid to the nature of poetry, and the particular poem this film is based on "The Language of the birds" (Richard Siken, 2015) spoke to me in a way that made me rethink the way I view the activity of creating art and how it leads back to our own anxieties. Setting this at the dawn of modern humans seemed only appropriate, as the process of self-reflection made me wonder on how our ancestors would cope with a world that seems dangerous and uncertain.