As we ease out of the summer, we wanted to spotlight a couple of new films about day-to-day teenage life, its leisurely bliss and schooltime tedium. This week we’re pleased to present Katherine Propper’s Birds, a slice-of-life short about the thrills of being young and having little to do.

Inspired by the off-the-cuff naturalism of ‘90s hits like Harmony Korine’s Gummo and Richard Linklater’s Slacker, Propper’s film delights in the unhurried rhythm that defines most teens’ summertime activities. Shot in Austin, Texas, with young people Propper met online and hanging about town, Birds captures the spirit of the city’s youth as they bike around its hills, take dips in its lakes, and spray paint its abandoned buildings.

“I wanted to capture the spirit of ineffable, everyday experiences that happen almost magically in one’s youth. Inspired by the reality of Austin teens and my daydreams, Birds romanticizes innocence amidst the fragility of daily life. Sometimes daring or dangerous situations reveal the paths to great beauty.” KATHERINE PROPPER

Having already worked with a community of young people in her previous short, Street Flame, Propper saw Birds as an opportunity to expand upon her relationship to capturing youth. Blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, her film takes from real-life moments and memories shared among the cast.

Katherine Propper was born in Los Angeles, CA, in 1993. She studied Art History at Georgetown University before completing an MFA in Film Directing at the University of Texas. In addition to directing a series of short films that have screened at festivals like Tribeca and Clemont-Ferrand, she also worked with Terrence Malick as part of his editing team. Her feature debut, LOST SOULZ, about a rapper who leaves his life behind in search of friendship, premiered at Tribeca last year.

Text written by Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer.