HBO Documentary Films Acquires Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner, “All That Breathes,” from Director Shaunak Sen

HBO Documentary Films has acquired worldwide television rights to ALL THAT BREATHES, from director Shaunak Sen (“Cities of Sleep“). The film premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival and was selected as the Grand Jury Prize winner in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. It is the only film from Sundance screening as an Official Selection at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Submarine Deluxe and Sideshow will release the film in arthouse theaters nationwide this fall, along with a robust festival rollout, ahead of its debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2023. Submarine negotiated with HBO Documentary Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

ALL THAT BREATHES follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites, a staple in the skies of New Delhi, India. In one of the world’s most populated cities, where cows, rats, monkeys, frogs, and hogs jostle cheek-by-jowl with people, the “kite brothers” care for thousands of these mesmerizing creatures that drop daily from New Delhi’s smog-choked skies. As environmental toxicity and civil unrest escalate, the relationship between this family and the neglected kites forms a poetic chronicle of the city’s collapsing ecology and deepening social fault lines.

Director Shaunak Sen quote: “The astonishing story of Saud and Nadeem, and their relationship with the majestic raptor called the ‘black kite’, took us three years to shape. Over time, the story became symptomatic of both Delhi’s ecological and social malaise, while also giving glimpses of a rare resilience. Most of us in the crew in India have grown up associating the unmistakable white noise of the HBO logo with high-quality cinematic programming. We’re thrilled to join their roster and to work with Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe to bring this story to a global audience.”

Submarine Deluxe’s Dan Braun quote: “ALL THAT BREATHES is one of the great discoveries of the year. Filled with humorous and heartbreaking moments in equal measure, ALL THAT BREATHES is a stunning achievement and announces Shaunak Sen as a major voice in cinema today. We are proud to partner with HBO Documentary Films to bring the film to the public.”

Credits: A Submarine Deluxe and Sideshow Release in association with HBO Documentary Films; a Kiterabbit Films and Rise Films production in collaboration with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. Director, Shaunak Sen; producers, Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer; executive producers, David Guy Elisco, Sean B. Carroll; co-producer, Florrie Priest; associate producers, Sam Stanley, Guy Horlock; editor, Charlotte Munch Bengtsen; cinematography, Benjamin Bernhard, Riju Das, Saumyananda Sahi.

ABOUT SUBMARINE DELUXE

Submarine Deluxe, the theatrical distribution arm of Submarine Entertainment, specializes in releasing quality feature films & documentaries focusing on arts, pop culture, and social commentary. Past titles include I Called Him Morgan, Gilbert, Chasing Ice, Fire Music and Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict.

ABOUT RISE FILMS

Rise is an Oscar® and Emmy® winning production company. Its productions include The Invisible War (Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner), The Interrupters (Emmy® winner), Icarus (Oscar® winner), Knuckle, Dreamcatcher, We Are Together, Rough Aunties, and Who is Dayani Cristal? starring Gael García Bernal. Rise has produced films and television programs for broadcasters and partners including BBC, Channel 4, PBS, Showtime, and HBO, which have gone on to win multiple awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Other clients and partners include Netflix, Hulu, ITV, Universal, the BFI, and Film4. The company recently produced The Human Factor (released by Sony Pictures Classics in 2021), Dror Moreh’s follow-up to his Oscar® nominated, The Gatekeepers; as well as The Art of Political Murder, a feature documentary for HBO, executive produced by George Clooney. Rise also produced David Osit’s multi-award-winning, Mayor, following the life and work of Musa Hadid, the mayor of Ramallah. Amongst other ongoing productions, Rise is wrapping a two-part documentary for HBO about the comedian George Carlin directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio and a six-part series for Sky Documentaries and NBC Universal.

ABOUT HHMI Tangled Bank Studios

HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company that crafts exceptional films where science is a lens for making sense of our world, while inspiring awe and wonder. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the studio, a vision of biologist and acclaimed author Sean B. Carroll, is uniquely positioned to shine a light on some of the most significant scientific challenges and breakthroughs of our time. Recent films include Emmy Award-winners The Serengeti Rules and The Farthest – Voyager In Space; Emmy-nominated Nature’s Fear Factor; Peabody Award winner Inventing Tomorrow; Ric Burns’ critically acclaimed documentary feature Oliver Sacks – His Own Life; and the 2022 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning documentary feature All That Breathes.