David Zellner

"I’m a sucker for films of the “boy/girl and his/her dog (lion/bear/whatever)” variety. I love gritty British kitchen-sink dramas of the sixties. I love a good angry-kid coming-of-age film. Kes has it all, minus the sentimentality and anthropomorphism of so many animal films. My heart aches for the kid and his bird—I just want their companionship, his only form of stability, to last forever. Fantastic, bittersweet score by John Cameron. My favorite Ken Loach film. "

"This coming-of-age tale is near and dear to me, since my brother and I were featured extras in it while on a family trip to Italy. Our parts were cut in the end, and being toddlers we didn’t remember much, but it seemed like fun at the time and craft services was amazing."

"Les Blank’s films resonate deeply with me, as do those of Werner Herzog, who is the subject of Burden of Dreams. One of the best films about filmmaking."

"I can’t think of a film as human and humane as this one. About as beautiful as it gets. Makes me weepy every time. Incredible score by Ravi Shankar"