Songbirds: Burung Berkicau

A man is considered to be a real man if he has a house, a wife, a horse, a dagger and a bird

2017 · 25 min · Documentary

Tracking, catching and training exotic birds from deep in the Indonesian jungle is lucrative business for young Indonesian entrepreneurs. That is, if the birds' new owners can make a good showing at local bird singing competitions and successfully sells them to the highest bidder. The birds are treated like royalty. They are their owners' ticket to a better life. Agok is new to the business. He follows the lead of his mentor Edi navigating the tricky process of procuring and training the right bird for this competitive and unusual sport. But training birds is not easy and takes a considerable time. Edi takes Agok under his wing to enable him a better chance at fulfilling his dream.

Directed by Wisnu Surya Pratama · Written by Nick Calpakdjian