Pigeons, All!

Created by Ronit Meranda, The Pitch 2018

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Description

London wakes up one day to find itself literally 'cut out' of the map of the UK, setting out to sea on a life of its own... “Pigeons, All!” is a darkly comic fairytale in paper cut-out animation... a quirky allegory of climate crisis and greed. Having heard news of rising sea levels, the pigeons of London have consciously 'evolved' into sea creatures. They now live beneath the waves. One day, the pigeons realise that they have begun to miss the fun and food they used to enjoy in London. The Great pigeon calls a big meeting, and the pigeons decide that the only option now is to bring London to them. The strongest of the pigeons set off for land. With their beaks they 'cut out' London from the earth and carry it off, flapping their wings. But it's harder than they've imagined; London is heavy after all. As they fly, people, houses, double-decker buses, all start to fall off the edges. The Thames runs dry.The sea-pigeons cheer at the sight of London. But London sinks deeper and deeper, and the London that hits the bottom of the ocean is unrecognisable.

Biblical Connection

“Pigeons, All!” is inspired by the story of 'Sodom and Gomorrah' where the two cities are destroyed due to their sinful lifestyles. "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me.[8] Therefore I removed them when I saw it." Ezekiel 16:49-50 This story, like many others in the Bible, show us that human beings repeatedly act upon their immediate wants and needs; no human being is flawless.“Pigeons, All!” chooses to focus on the consequences of collective action rather than individual action, so there are no direct parallels with the protagonists of 'Sodom and Gomorrah'. The concepts of heroes, villains and victims all merge into one another. The moral of the story is open to interpretations: Who is to blame for the premature destruction of a city by pigeons who are equally egotistical and careless about the consequences of their actions as the citizens of the city? Pigeons, All! portrays a reality where a definitive line between 'the good guys' and 'the bad guys' doesn't exist.