Seamlessly editing the events of several years into one fluid, bittersweet character arc, Scheme Birds the title is a local term for residents of the government housing scheme where Gemma lives, though it has other metaphorical applications follows its subject with such dedicated intimacy that it often plays as much like Loachian social realism as actual documentary. Directors Ellen Fiske Ellinor Hallin Writers The film premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Best Feature Documentary award and the Best New Documentary Director award. Many have been in trouble Gemma says, in fact, here you either end up locked up or knocked up she explains. But some fly off and do their own thing. And as this intimate and wrenchingly affecting film draws to a close, Gemma begins to realise that her best chance for the future depends on her taking a cue from those few errant birds that break free of the lure of home and start anew. . Growing up in a Scottish scheme this felt like I was reliving some of my childhood and early teen years. Is it possible to break a pattern thats been passed on for generations? 2019. 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With industries and companies leaving their town (to often exploit others somewhere else for higher profit), and the government not bothering to try and save these agglomerations and their inhabitants, is it any wonder that the sad members of the community and parents are not fighting for their childrens future. This documentary turns a tender eye toward a bright teenager who hopes to never leave her decaying Scottish hometown. This non-invasive fly-on-the-wall documentary is so seamlessly edited that it feels scripted almost. "I don't run away from nothing, I run to it," says Gemma, the quietly resilient teenager at the center of "Scheme Birds." Few would blame her for doing the reverse, having been abandoned in . Made by fans in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ellen Fiske, Ellinor Hallin. Scheme Birds (2019) 7.2 196. Expand. Scheme Birds | movie | 2019 | Official Trailer. But in a place where "you either get knocked up or locked up," innocent games can easily turn into serious crime. The subject of the documentary, Gemma, has eyes that are always full of thought and a heart full of gold, holding everyone that she is close to from criminal friends and boyfriends to her family with understanding, love and second chances. N/ATomato. Rent or buy on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play or Vimeo. Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin announce themselves as docmakers to watch with this piercing chronicle of a Scottish teen's drastic coming of age. Posted on March 25, 2021 by . 90 mins. What a sad world, I wish the best for Gemma and her son. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of serviceapply. Its a challenging watch but the directors Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin imbue it with a unifying style of compassion and grace. This site uses cookies. The setting is very Loachian, but unlike Ken Loachs films this docu-drama is never unduly sentimental or overly political. . The cinematography is lush and artsy, with a beautiful colour palate and perhaps a bit too many slow motions. [2] The film premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival , [3] where it won the Best Feature Documentary award and the Best New Documentary Director award. Thanks to his guidance, and her passion for boxing, Gemma has hope that someday she will make it out, maybe out of there, but no matter how bad things are in Motherwell, she loves it and is proud to call it home. Buy Now View More. . Scheme Birds bursts with the frustration of a generation of Scots let down by society's promises. Scheme Birds. The meagrely decorated space becomes a party pad, meanwhile Gemma struggles with parenthood, largely unsupported by her boyfriend. Delving with a respectful intimacy into the lives of their subjects, the directors skilfully draw out the nuances of their subject matter. But in a place where "you either . Scheme Birds. The main protagonist Gemma is seemingly made for being in front of a camera and is a formidable presence. We Are Moving Storiesembraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. (7) 7.1 1 h 26 min 2019 16+. By the end of this film the viewer will feel a bit attached to Gemma, and wonder whether she and her son Liam are in a better place now. The one place where shed always felt at most at home and would never leave, she started to question and see with different eyes. The winners of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival have been announced, and two of the fest's three highest honors have gone to women-directed films. Doing all he can to channel her energy away from the streets, he opens a boxing gym that he converts once a week into a pigeon show - something he believes will give . In a place where you "either get knocked up or locked up," Gemma carves out brief moments of tenderness amidst the violence of her local scheme. Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Previously, Fiske made several short films and Hallin worked predominantly as a cinematographer; she is currently shooting Lukas Moodyssons television series, Gsta. Increasingly, Hallins unobtrusive lens captures more lows than highs. Gemma's childhood, a teenage troublemaker, turns into motherhood in Motherwell, a rusty Scottish steel town, a place where people either get knocked up or locked up, where innocent games can easily turn into serious crime. scheme birds where are they now. But her grandfather, who raised her from infancy, wont accept that. But in a place where "you either get knocked up or locked up," innocent games can easily turn into serious crime. Send any friend a story. It plays out more like a documentary although its obviously not and I'm really not sure if there even was a lesson or a message in the film which is why I say its more like a documentary. The sad truth is that this suburbs description could be applied to so many others around the world where people stuck in low-income projects have very little chance to live a better life. Each shot seems deeply considered, as if it had been storyboarded and blocked before the call to action. 7.1 1 h 26 min 2019 16+. teenage troublemaker Gemma comes of age in her fading Scottish steel town. Shows the bleak lives of some young Scottish people when extreme poverty is all they know. scheme birds where are they now April 18, 2021 Comment Comment That was the way of life in the small-town, low-income housing scheme where she grew up, southeast of Glasgow. We would also love buyers and distributors to show interest in our film. Gemma informs us that since people dont have much to occupy their time, violence and abuse abounds.. Unfortunately for her, her hedonistic way of understanding the world does not fit in with the philosophy of the rest of the villagers, so trouble soon follows. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. As Gemma used to say, scheme birds either get locked up or knocked up", so perhaps her path is set. Scheme Birds is the story of a teenage troublemaker Gemma growing up in her world of violence and pigeons. One of a number of EIFF titles with backing from the BFI Film Fund, Scheme Birds has a local interest element for Scottish attendees of the festival.Set in Motherwell, the hybrid documentary presents a compassionate portrait of teenage 'scheme bird' Gemma, a young mother who has little desire to ever leave the North Lanarkshire town where she hangs out with her jailbird boyfriend. The year that Gemma was born was the same year in which she was robbed of a future. A scheme is like a non-snobby place to stay. Gemma's childhood, a teenage troublemaker, turns into motherhood in Motherwell, a rusty Scottish steel town, a place where people either get knocked up or locked up, where innocent games can easily turn into serious crime. In a place where you "either get knocked up or locked up," Gemma carves out brief moments of tenderness amidst the violence of her local scheme. Soon enough, social services delivered Gemma to her grandparents. It is hard to image how the story would have developed if Gemma had not got pregnant. But this extraordinary documentary weighs the bleak details and they are, at times, almost unbearably grim against moments of lyrical beauty and even humour. Life unfolds as innocent games turn into serious crime. Scheme Birds (2019) 7.2 196. Viewers may feel rather less sanguine on her behalf when the independent-minded teen duly falls pregnant by Pat, a scrawny, unruly kid who has racked up a precocious amount of jail time at his early age. Is Netflix, Amazon, Now TV, ITV, iTunes, etc. streaming Scheme Birds? Anissa Boumedine Fortune, of documentaries and is as intriguing as the Oscar-nominated film in its approach, or filming of people lives evolution over a few critical years. We witness Gemma having to grow up too fast. Gemma in the documentary "Scheme Birds." . The only difference is "Scheme Birds" being a disturbing documentary about a young girl and her friends at the backyards of Scottish society. NEW THIS WEEK. This has made us even more secure about the way we want to tell a story through - with a very gentle hand and the main characters partly in charge of how the story is expressed. We haven't shown the film to too many so far. GEMMA: We get called Scheme Birds. Gemma's childhood, a teenage troublemaker . We see the fading steel town through the eyes of Gemma, a soon-to-be mother on the verge of adulthood. We also want people to feel that the story is told from Gemmas point of view. Tell you what though some of it was basically unintelligible even to my Brit ears. (KIDS CHATTERING) You could pick anything in the . The facts of life for the teenagers in Gemmas circle are as hard and unpromising as the squat concrete blocks which house them. Its a remarkable achievement. Strong-willed Gemma is such a character that Scheme Birds occasionally feels like a drama-doc, and its fly-on-the-wall style is always astute and empathetic as Gemma's life twists unexpectedly. Gemma Tracey Expand search. Moreover, the youth living in these areas might be looked down upon by outsiders. Gemma's childhood, a teenage troublemaker, turns into motherhood in Motherwell, a rusty Scottish steel town, a place where people either get knocked up or locked up, where innocent games can easily turn into serious crime. 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