back

Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird)

Competition 2026
© Mirabel Pictures
After losing her friend, Anna has spent a decade obsessively building a detailed 1/3-scale version of her house. The model is just big enough for Anna to squeeze in through the door. Inside lives a puppet of her friend, Yo. When the pair first met, Yo was 73 and Anna just 24. Over the decades, they formed a deep bond that defied the gap in their ages and experiences. After Yo’s death, Anna reconstructed a magical space where Yo’s stories can unfold and their relationship continue.
Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird) juxtaposes intimate vérité of Yo’s last year with Anna’s creative interpretations of Yo’s dramatic life stories. Born in Switzerland in 1924, Yo lived life on her own terms, defying expectations around sexuality, motherhood, ageing and even death. As the film blurs memory, time and invention, it also reveals the power of artistic creation to channel – and share – grief and love.
by Anna Fitch (Director), Banker White (Director)
with Yolanda Shea, Anna Fitch, Dylan White USA 2026 English 78' Colour & Black/White World premiere | Documentary form

With

  • Yolanda Shea
  • Anna Fitch
  • Dylan White

Crew

Directors Anna Fitch, Banker White
Cinematography Banker White, Andy Mitchell
Editing Banker White
Music Tyler Strickland
Sound Design Jeff King
Production Design Simon Cheffins, Robin Frohardt
Art Director Anna Fitch, Banker White
Producers Sara Dosa, Hannah Roodman, Banker White, Anna Fitch
Executive Producers Douglas Choi, Martina Bassenger, Rick Rosenthal, Nancy Stephens, Dennis Masel, Gabriela Nadig, Jessamine Burgum, Kara Durrett, Maida Lynn, Sheri Sobrato, John Boccardo, Derek Esplin, Robina Riccitiello, Katy Barksdale
Co-Producers Elijah Stevens, Kaila Lee

Produced by

Mirabel Pictures

San Francisco, USA

World Sales

First Hand Films

Zürich, Switzerland

Photos

Press Conference

Red Carpet

Anna Fitch

© Mirabel Pictures

The director works in independent documentary, natural history film and performance art. She is best known for her creative approach to elevating unlikely protagonists in both the natural and human worlds. Her work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, the National Endowment for the Arts, SFFILM, the Creative Work Fund, the California Arts Council, Tribeca Film Institute and Headlands Center for the Arts.

Filmography

2002 Bugworld; documentary, co-directed by David Allen 2010 Sedition; short film 2014 The Genius of Marian; documentary, co-directed by Banker White 2018 Survivors; documentary, co-directed by Banker White 2019 Octopus in My House 2026 Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird); co-directed by Banker White

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026

Banker White

© Mirabel Pictures

The work of the interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker ranges from a focus on war and disease to the complex dimensions that surround ageing and death but is unified by a compassionate humanism. His projects have been supported by organisations including the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Creative Capital, Bertha Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and Tribeca Film Institute.

Filmography

2007 All Stars; documentary 2014 A Marriage to Remember; short documentary · The Genius of Marian; documentary, co-directed by Anna Fitch 2018 Survivors; documentary, co-directed by Anna Fitch 2026 Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird); co-directed by Anna Fitch

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026