Bird is the latest film by director Andrea Arnold, one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the UK. Her credits include American Honey and Fish Tank and she won an Oscar in 2005 for her short film Wasp.

Bird drew a seven-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024.

Keoghan won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role as a troubled young man in The Banshees of Inisherin. He has said he was so keen to work with Arnold that he signed up to appear in Bird before he had even read the script.

The new film’s cast also includes Franz Rogowski (Passages) and an astounding newcomer, Nykiya Adams.

Nykiya plays 12-year-old Bailey who lives with her devoted, but chaotic father Bug (Keoghan) and wayward brother Hunter (Jason Buda). The family’s home is a squat in Gravesend, Kent. Approaching puberty and seeking attention and adventure, Bailey’s life is transformed when she encounters a mysterious stranger called Bird (Rogowski).

Bird has been described as a “wonderous portrait of the transition from childhood to adolescence that remains grounded in Arnold’s typically empathetic social realism.”

Andrea Arnold will be taking part in the Screen Talks programme at the 68th BFI London Film Festival which runs from 9th October to 20th October. Find more information about the Screen Talks programme and the festival.

4th October 2024