Introduction

The Yellow Birds is a 2017 American war film directed by Alexandre Moors and based on the novel The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, Jack Huston and Jennifer Aniston.

Outline

Two young soldiers, Bartle (21) and Murph (18) navigate the terrors of the Iraq war under the command of the older, troubled Sergeant Sterling.

All the while, Bartle is tortured by a promise he made to Murph’s mother before their deployment.

Film Inspiration

The Yellow Birds is the debut novel from American writer, poet, and Iraq war veteran Kevin Powers. It was one of The New York Times’s 100 Most Notable Books of 2012 and a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award. It was awarded the 2012 The Guardian First Book Award, and the 2013 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.

Much of the novel draws upon Powers’s experience serving a year as a machine gunner in Mosul and Tal Afar, Iraq, from February 2004 to March 2005 after enlisting in the Army at the age of 17. After his honourable discharge, Powers enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University, where he graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in English. He holds an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a Michener Fellow in Poetry.

Production & Filming Details

• Director: Alexandre Moors.
• Producers: Mark Canton, Courtney Solomon, Jeffrey Sharp, Karim Debbagh, and Kristin Hahn.
• Screenplay: David Lowery and R.F.I. Porto.
• Music: Adam Wiltzie.
• Cinematography: Daniel Landin.
• Editor: Joe Klotz.
• Production: Cinelou Films, Echo Films, and Story Mining & Supply Co.
• Distributor: Saban Films and DirecTV Cinema.
• Release Date: 21 January 2017 (Sundance) and 15 June 2018 (US).
• Running Time: 95 minutes.
• Country: US and Morocco.
• Language: English, French, and Arabic.

YouTube Link