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Scheme Birds

Documentary Competition

World Premiere

Scotland, Sweden | 90 MINUTES | English | English subtitles

SCHEME BIRDS

Documentary
Scheme Birds centers on Scottish teenager Gemma and the people in her life: her grandfather, who raised her after her mother abandoned her; her boyfriend Pat; her unlucky best friend Amy; and her neighbor JP. Their scheme is Jerviston, a place where you “either get knocked up or locked up,” where there’s been nothing to do since Margaret Thatcher closed the local steelworks in the 1980s. Everyone finds a distraction to stay out of trouble: Papa keeps pigeons and teaches boxing, the kids drink and commit petty crime, and Gemma finds motherhood.

Directors Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin paint an intimate portrait of this fading town, and of Gemma as she comes of age in a place scarred by society’s broken promises. But Gemma's tenacity and determination shine through her surroundings. Her budding voice accompanies the film’s dreamy cinematography, providing a chilling commentary on the violence and loneliness all around her. Thanks to the sensitivity of the filmmakers, and Gemma's strong personality, there is a clear strand of hope in this absorbing story of survival.

—Jule Rozite

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin

Ellen Fiske graduated from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2015. She’s made two critically acclaimed short films. Ellinor Hallin is a director and cinematographer who has worked with drama and documentary for HBO and more.
Director
Ellen Fiske, Ellinor Hallin
Producer
Mario Adamson, Ruth Reid
Screenwriter
Ellen Fiske, Ellinor Hallin
Cinematographer
Ellinor Hallin
Editor
Hanna Lejonqvist
Cast
Gemma, Pat, Joseph, Scott, Luke, Amy, John Paul, Maria

CONTACTS

US Sales Contact
Greg Rubidge
Syndicado Film Sales
greg@syndicado.com
Print Source
Mario Adamson
Sisyfos Film Production AB
Stockholm, 128 41
Phone: +46 70 620 24 43
mario@sisyfosfilm.com
Press Contact
April Tonsil
Falco Ink
New York, New York 10016
Phone: 212 445 7100
apriltonsil@falcoink.com
International Sales Contact
Aleksandar Govedarica
Syndicado Film Sales
Toronto, M6J 3J5
Phone: +421 949 635 890
aleksandar@syndicado.com