A short film created for Instagram has found a place at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). ‘Like The Birds’, directed by Cyril Syriac, has been selected in the Short Fiction category at the festival in Thiruvananthapuram, marking a significant milestone for a project initially conceived for a digital audience.The film follows Vishnu and Layana, a newly married couple whose conversation about money, responsibilities and uncertainty gradually turns to the apparent freedom of birds. Through an intimate, everyday exchange, the story explores the financial anxieties that accompany married life and the desire to escape the pressure of constant obligations.
‘Like The Birds’ draws from personal experience
Speaking exclusively to ETimes, Cyril explained that the film emerged from the idea behind Friday Flicks, a film project built around conversations about everyday life and the issues that shape it.“Friday Flicks started as a conversation-oriented film project. We wanted to talk about things that are happening around us every day, subjects that are personal, social and sometimes political but present them through simple, relatable conversations. We felt that when an idea is presented conversationally, it becomes easier for people to connect with it,” he said.The story of ‘Like The Birds’ grew out of conversations Cyril had with his partner about financial anxiety and the responsibilities that come with marriage. Monthly instalments, future plans and the pressure to keep up with everyday expenses became the foundation for the narrative.“The film really began with a conversation I was having with my partner. Financial anxiety is something that comes up all the time in our lives, the pressure of EMIs, responsibilities and the feeling that you constantly have to figure things out. I was thinking about those conversations and wondering how something so ordinary could become a film.”The film’s natural setting also has a personal connection for the director. Cyril had long wanted to capture a location near his village where cranes gather, and the story eventually gave him the opportunity to bring that landscape into the film.“When I was thinking about this particular story, it felt like the right opportunity to bring them into the film,” he said.
Can Instagram take filmmakers to film festivals?
For Cyril, Instagram offers emerging filmmakers a way to experiment with form, work with limited budgets and reach audiences without relying entirely on traditional filmmaking and distribution infrastructure. However, he believes that making films for a digital platform should not mean prioritising clicks over storytelling.“Of course, when you are making something for Instagram, you are aware that there is an audience and that the platform has its own language. But we don’t want to make something simply because we think that is what the audience will click on or consume. We believe that if you approach a piece of work as a film, rather than content created just for the sake of producing content, it can kindle conversations and thoughts in people. And that is ultimately what cinema should be doing,” he said.He also highlighted how social media can give filmmakers the freedom to develop ideas and gauge audience responses without the resources traditionally needed to make and distribute films.“Instagram is a very powerful tool in that sense because it allows filmmakers to take their work directly to a large audience without necessarily needing the resources or infrastructure traditionally required to make and distribute a film. It gives filmmakers an opportunity to experiment, make low-budget films and see how people respond to them,” Cyril added.
‘Like The Birds’ at IDSFFK: A milestone for the team
The team did not originally envision ‘Like The Birds’ as a festival film. Its selection at IDSFFK therefore came as a particularly meaningful development, demonstrating that a short made for a digital audience can also find recognition in a festival setting.“We never made Like The Birds with a film festival in mind. We made it for Friday Flicks and for the digital audience. So when a film that was created in that context was noticed and selected for IDSFFK, it was genuinely very special for us. More than anything, it felt like an acknowledgement of the film language we were trying to explore, that a film made for a digital platform can still have a cinematic identity and find a place in a festival space,” he said.For Cyril, the selection also points to possibilities for other emerging filmmakers who want to experiment with independent, low-budget projects and find audiences beyond conventional distribution channels.“If a film made for a platform like Instagram can create a conversation with its audience and eventually find its way into a festival like IDSFFK, I think that is a very encouraging possibility for emerging filmmakers. For us, the journey of Like The Birds doesn’t mean that Instagram has replaced the traditional film ecosystem. Rather, it shows that these platforms can become another route, a space where filmmakers can experiment, find their voice, reach audiences and potentially have their work acknowledged beyond the platform itself,” he added.
‘Like The Birds’: Cast and crew
Antony Paul plays Vishnu, while Greeshma Narendran portrays Layana. Renju Krishnan handled cinematography, while Antony Paul was also responsible for the film’s editing and sound design.