Friends of the feathered flock together. This is evident in Michael Gitlin’s documentary film, “The Birdpeople,” which will be screened at 8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 13 in the University of Houston’s Fine Arts Quadrangle.

This free, outdoor event is presented by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at UH, Aurora Picture Show, and Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of UH.

Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets, folding chairs and refreshments. A limited amount of bench seating will be provided. In the event of rain, the screening will be relocated to Dudley Recital Hall, which is adjacent to the courtyard.

“The Birdpeople” focuses on groups of different bird enthusiasts including birdwatchers in Central Park, ornithologists, researchers and a collection of bird-lovers dedicated to locating an extinct species in Louisiana. The film examines the humorous and poignant attention people devote to the world’s winged wonders.

This event is coordinated in conjunction with the Blaffer’s exhibition of Jean Luc Mylayne’s bird photographs on view from Sept. 8 to Nov. 10. It also is part of “Artists Up Close,” an ongoing series of Mitchell Center events inspired by Blaffer Gallery exhibitions.

“Our screening of ‘The Birdpeople’ will be great fun for the UH campus and the community,” said Karen Farber, director of the Mitchell Center. “We love the ‘Artists Up Close’ series because it enables us to extend the life of Blaffer Gallery exhibitions beyond the museum’s walls. ‘The Birdpeople’ will beautifully compliment the Blaffer’s show of Mylayne’s extraordinary photographs.”

Gitlin’s films have been screened in a host of venues including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival at the Lincoln Center and the 1997 Whitney Biennial. He is a 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and teaches at Hunter College in New York City.

For more information on the screening of “The Birdpeople,” visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org or call
713-743-5548.

WHAT:	Film Screening: “The Birdpeople”
WHEN:	8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 13
WHERE:	Fine Arts Quadrangle in front of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts building Entrance 16 off of Cullen Boulevard University of Houston Houston, TX
WHO:	Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, Aurora Picture Show, Blaffer Gallery

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.