Every Little Thing

A generous Los Angeleno dedicates her life to caring for injured hummingbirds in Sally Aitken’s Australian-made documentary.

Meet Cactus, Raisin, Jimmy and Wasabi – four hummingbirds who need a helping hand.

Filmed across a spring and summer, Sally Aitken’s heartfelt documentary builds a portrait of Terry Masear: a kind soul living in the hills of LA who dedicates her life to nursing injured hummingbirds back to full health. Each bird she takes in begins a heroic journey from injury to rehabilitation, with small victories celebrated and setbacks lamented.

Curator’s Note

You might be mistaken for thinking that hummingbirds were made for cinema. Their tiny hearts beat almost as fast as a projector’s shutter speed for one, but capturing their rapid flight is a technical challenge that makes for some truly glorious viewing thanks to macro lenses, high-speed photography and elegant drone footage.

Remarkable cinematography documenting hummingbirds in an almost supernatural state of flight accompanies storytelling with disarming emotional depth. A Trojan Horse of a film, Sally Aitken’s adoring look at Terry’s tiny patients belies a deeper, more human story about what animals bring out of people and what draws us to them.

Every Little Thing premiered at Sundance Film Festival and became a festival hit around the world.

– Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)