Pica Pica

Dir. Mikael Kristersson. 1987, 97 mins. DCP. From 1986-1987, Swedish filmmaker and environmentalist Mikael Kristersson documented the comings and goings of a group of magpies in Vällingby, Sweden—a suburb west of Stockholm that was built in the 1950s. His film follows the rhythms of these small, black-and-white birds. How they move, interact, and what sounds they make is captured alongside the hustle and bustle of city life. It is an astonishingly alive portrait of a species and one, like all of Kristersson’s films, that isn’t encumbered by narration, music, or intertitles. His film finds its form not only through the magpies but with them.

About the speakers:

Paul Sweet was born in Bristol, England and has been interested in natural history for as long as he can remember. After completing a degree in Zoology at the University of Liverpool, he traveled extensively in the Americas and Asia for several years before working in the Raffles Museum in Singapore. In 1991 he moved to New York to work as Collection Manager of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History, taking care of the largest bird specimen collection in the world. During his tenure at the AMNH, he has participated in museum expeditions to countries such as Vietnam, Central African Republic, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea and Benin.

Kaitlyn Parkins, conservation biologist at New York City Audubon, is a biologist focused on urban wildlife conservation. Her current research interests include animal migration and movement, and innovative approaches to creating habitat in urban spaces. At New York City Audubon she works projects with a variety of topics, including shorebird migration ecology, colonial waterbird nesting ecology, green roofs wildlife habitat, and bird-building collisions.