The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Encyclopedia
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is a 2005
documentary film
directed, produced, and edited by Judy Irving
. It chronicles the relationship between Mark Bittner
, an unemployed musician who is living rent-free in a cabin in Telegraph Hill
in San Francisco, California
, and a flock of feral parrots
(cherry-headed
and two blue-crowned conures
) that he feeds and interacts with. Bittner also wrote a book by the same name on the subject. In May 2007, the documentary aired on the PBS series Independent Lens
.
Much of the documentary focuses on the individual parrots, and their relationships with one another. Bittner notes that there is humor in the piece, which he believes makes it different from many other nature documentaries
. Raising funding for the film was difficult at first, as Irving had to find individual donors. The proceeds from a fundraiser, in which Bittner gave a presentation to a packed theater, allowed Irving to start shooting the film in earnest.
The musical score was created by Chris Michie, a Bay area musician, formerly the guitarist for Van Morrison. It was his final project before he died from melanoma. The film, which he did not live to see released, is dedicated to him.
for Outstanding Documentary DVD.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed, produced, and edited by Judy Irving
Judy Irving
Judy Irving is an American filmmaker. She directed the documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, about writer Mark Bittner's relationship with a flock of wild parrots. The film won the Genesis Award for "Outstanding Documentary Film" in 2005, and is one of the 25 top-grossing theatrical...
. It chronicles the relationship between Mark Bittner
Mark Bittner
Mark Bittner is an American writer. He is the author of The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.Bittner spent 14 years on the streets of San Francisco after his dream of becoming a professional musician fell apart...
, an unemployed musician who is living rent-free in a cabin in Telegraph Hill
Telegraph Hill
Telegraph Hill may be:* Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, USA* Telegraph Hill, on the A38 road in Devon, England* Telegraph Hill, Claygate, Surrey, England* Telegraph Hill, Barnet, London, England* Telegraph Hill, Lewisham, London, England...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and a flock of feral parrots
Feral parrots
A feral parrot is a parrot that has adapted to life in an ecosystem to which it is not native.-Rainbow Lorikeet:Feral colonies of Rainbow Lorikeet have been established in Perth, Western Australia and in Auckland, New Zealand....
(cherry-headed
Red-masked Parakeet
The Red-masked Parakeet, Aratinga erythrogenys, is a medium-sized parrot from Ecuador and Peru. It is popular as a pet and considered a good talker. It is known in aviculture as the Cherry-headed Conure.-Description:...
and two blue-crowned conures
Blue-crowned Parakeet
The Blue-crowned Parakeet, Blue-crowned Conure, or Sharp-tailed Conure is a parakeet native to large parts of South America, from eastern Colombia in the north to northern Argentina in the south...
) that he feeds and interacts with. Bittner also wrote a book by the same name on the subject. In May 2007, the documentary aired on the PBS series Independent Lens
Independent Lens
Airing weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
.
Much of the documentary focuses on the individual parrots, and their relationships with one another. Bittner notes that there is humor in the piece, which he believes makes it different from many other nature documentaries
Nature documentary
A natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat...
. Raising funding for the film was difficult at first, as Irving had to find individual donors. The proceeds from a fundraiser, in which Bittner gave a presentation to a packed theater, allowed Irving to start shooting the film in earnest.
The musical score was created by Chris Michie, a Bay area musician, formerly the guitarist for Van Morrison. It was his final project before he died from melanoma. The film, which he did not live to see released, is dedicated to him.
Awards
The film won the Genesis Award for Documentary Film and was nominated for the 2005 Satellite AwardSatellite Awards
The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
for Outstanding Documentary DVD.
External links
- The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill site for Independent LensIndependent LensAiring weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
on PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....