Fly home

At the beginning of the film, during a trip, 13-year-old Amy Elden (Anna Pacwin) gets into a car accident in which her mother dies. Her father, Thomas Elden (Jeff Daniels), arrives in New Zealand and takes her to Ontario, Canada a month after the accident. It is clear that Amy, who is still in shock because of the death of her mother, does not reach for her father and for her new life. She has not seen or talked with her father since Amy and her mother moved to New Zealand when she was 3 years old.

Thomas Elden is an artist, inventor, and naturalist. His observations serve as the basis for complex inventions, works of art and sculptures. Amy finds out that he has a girlfriend, Susan ( Dana Delaney ), who lives with her father. Amy makes it clear that she doesn’t welcome Susan in her life.

Amy explores her new environment on her own and adapts to a new life. One day early in the morning, construction vehicles arrive and destroy the place that was the nest of Canadian wild geese . Amy goes out to explore and finds the eggs that were laid by the goose, forced to leave them. The girl saves the eggs and incubates them in an old cupboard in the barn. When she later comes to check the eggs, the goslings hatch. Because Amy is the first living thing they see, she is “ imprinted ” as their mother; since then they have followed her everywhere.

Thomas consults with the hunting inspector on how to feed and care for the geese. He does not know that in Canada one of the duties of the hunter’s job is to trim the wings of migratory birds so that they can no longer fly away. Being unable to fly, the bird is safer. However, when he tries to cut the wings of one of the goslings, Amy gets angry, hits him with a cup of popcorn and locks with the goslings in the bathroom.

As geese grow and mature, for Thomas, Amy, and all their friends, it becomes obvious that the birds must migrate, or the inspector will return to cut their wings, in order to keep them from flying. Meanwhile, Thomas's brother, David ( Terry Kinney ) knows about the ornithologist in the United States, who told him about the land in North Carolina , where there is a breeding ground for birds. However, there is a problem: the birds have not lived in the nest for a long time, and the developers have expressed interest in the land. If the birds do not settle in the nest by the first of November of that year, it will become the property of the developers.

For a complete list of actors, see IMDb.com .

• 10,000 Miles - Mary Chapin Carpenter
• Yakety Ax - Chet Atkins

Filming took place in Auckland ( New Zealand ), Baltimore ( Maryland , USA ), North Carolina (USA), Port Perry ( Ontario , Canada ), Sandbanks Provincial Park ( Ontario , Canada ), Toronto ( Ontario , Canada ) and on aviation US Air Force Base ( New York , USA) from July 17 to October 19, 1995 .

Wayne Bezner Kerr (inaccessible link) is the pilot stuntman who took part in the shooting of the film.

Awards

• 1997 - Critics Choice Award in the category "Best Family Film"
• 1997 - Christopher Award in the Cinema category ( Carroll Ballard (director), Robert Rodat (screenwriter), Vince McKevin (screenwriter), Carol Baumm (producer), John Watt (producer))
• 1997 - Genesis Awards in the Feature Film category
• 1997 - Young Actor Award in the Best Family Drama category

Nominations

• 1997 - Oscar nomination in the Best Operator category ( Caleb Deschanel )
• 1997 - Award nominated by the American Society of Cinematographers ( ASC ) in the category “Outstanding Achievements in Cinema in Theater Releases” ( Caleb Deschanel )
• 1997 - Nomination for the Chlotrudis Independent Film Award ( Chlotrudis Award ) in the Best Actor category for the role of Thomas Elden ( Jeff Daniels )
• 1997 - Nominated for the YoungStar Award in the category “Best Young Actress in a Dramatic Film” for the role of Amy Elden ( Anna Pacwin )
• 1997 - nomination for the Young Actor Award in the Best Feature in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress category for the role of Amy Elden ( Anna Packin )

• Picture Format: 1.85: 1
• Camera: Panavision Cameras and Lenses
• Copy Format: 35 mm
• Shooting format: 35 mm (Eastman EXR 50D 5245, EXR 100T 5248, EXR 200T 5293, EXR 500T 5298)
• Image: color

• "Fly Away Home" (Eng.) On the Internet Movie Database