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Winged Migration

Documentary and Nonfiction Film

Winged Migration, released in France as Le Peuple migrateur, is a 2001 nature documentary directed by Jacques Perrin with co-directors Jacques Cluzaud and Michel Debats, filmed over several years in more than forty countries. The production followed migratory birds using imprinted flocks, ultralight aircraft, gliders, balloons and other aerial platforms to capture sustained close-up footage of birds in flight, a technique developed specifically for the film. Winged Migration received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature and is widely regarded as a landmark of nature documentary cinematography for its close aerial filming method.

Facts
Partially Attested
Country
France 2
Sourced to the subject's own accountInfobox lists a four-country co-production, France first: France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland. France recorded as the primary value; the other three are not represented by this single-value key.
Classification
Original Language
English 1
Original Language
French 1
AwardSourced to the subject's own account
Cesar Award for Best Editing 2
Release Year
2001 1
FAQs

Did Winged Migration win an Academy Award?

It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature but did not win; Bowling for Columbine took the award.

No. Winged Migration was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, but the award that year went to Bowling for Columbine, directed by Michael Moore, according to the Academy's own page for that ceremony.

Does Winged Migration explain the science of bird migration?

It is a near wordless portrait of the birds' journey rather than a science lesson.

Not in the manner of a lecture. The film is nearly wordless and concentrates on showing the sheer physical effort that migration demands of the birds, rather than on statistics and facts. It was filmed on all seven continents over four years, so what it offers is a close portrait of the journey itself rather than a scientific account of why and how birds migrate.
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Source Winged Migration (Wikipedia)

In Medium

Film, Media Forms
Source Winged Migration (Wikipedia)
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Sources
1. Wikidata: Winged Migration
Wikidata Q747346, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
2. Winged Migration (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • lead paragraph, first sentence
    is a 2001 documentary film directed by Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats and Jacques Perrin
  • infobox, Country field
    France Italy Germany Switzerland
  • Wikipedia: 'It won "Best Editing" at the 27th César Awards' (checked 2026-09-26)
  • In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
    Winged Migration (French: Le Peuple Migrateur, also known as The Travelling Birds in some UK releases, or The Travelling Birds: An Adventure in Flight in Australia) is a 2001 documentary film directed by Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats and Jacques Perrin, who was also one of the writers and narrators, showcasing the immense journeys routinely made by birds during their migration.
  • Created By: Jacques Perrin, Article lead sentence
    Winged Migration (French: Le Peuple Migrateur, also known as The Travelling Birds in some UK releases, or The Travelling Birds: An Adventure in Flight in Australia) is a 2001 documentary film directed by Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats and Jacques Perrin, who was also one of the writers and narrators, showcasing the immense journeys routinely made by birds during their migration.
View the Source
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