Oscar award winner Andrew Ruhemann has announced his upcoming animated short film, The Day I Become A Bird. Known for directing The Lost Thing (2010) and his work in producing Love, Death & Robots (2019-2021) and How I Live Now (2013), Ruhemann returns 13 years after his last short in 2010. 

The animated short is based on a book written by Chabbert Ingrid. The story follows a boy who has a crush on a girl, except she has a odd preference for birds only. Dedicated and desperate, the boy is determined to win the girl over even if it requires feathers and a beak. 

“You could say this story is about first love or about being true to yourself, but it’s just one layer. This girl is able to connect with nature in a way he doesn’t quite understand. He gets a taste of something transcendent.”

Ruhemann experienced what felt like deja vu when picking up this book. He went through the same exact situation with his award winning short, The Lost Thing.

“I was at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and that’s where I found this book. I thought it was a very intriguing image: Why is there this kid in a bird costume? It moved me….With The Lost Thing, it was the first book I saw at that fair. I felt a little tingle at the back of my spine and said to myself: ‘This is going to be my first film.’ It all happened in a very similar way.”

While making the film, Ruhemann experienced the always changing animation landscape, learning new tools, tips, and tricks along the way. 

“We can make things a lot cheaper and we have seen some examples of people really pushing the boundaries now. I made this film with Unreal Engine and for me, one of the most exciting places to reside in is where poetry meets technology. It’s amazing when they come together.”

Ruhemann wants the audience to sit and take in each and every scene. He wants the film to feel sentimental:

“The theme of the film is paying attention to all the wonders that can be right in front of our nose. Taking a pause to see them, to feel them.”