What They Say About Carmen, 2min., Portugal
Directed by Eve Ferretti, Pedro Mota Teixeira
"What They Say About Carmen" brings to light the story of a 10-year-old girl who was born without arms, narrated by a voice that uses a “borrowed” discourse, typical of those who “say that...” This narrative, coming from someone who never knew Carmen, adopts a memorial tone that contrasts with the animated image, revealing the true essence of the protagonist. This confrontation between the visual narrative and the verbal discourse invites us to dive deeper into Carmen's life.

https://spiceshipstudios.com/project/index.php?p=14

Get to know the filmmaker/writer Eve Ferretti:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The way people make assumptions about each other's lives has always intrigued me.

Carmen was born at a moment when I became acutely aware of that in my own life.

Sometimes the "perfect family" in the eyes of others hides deep secrets behind the scenes — just as, quite often, the life that everyone criticizes is the one where someone truly finds happiness.

Appearances are just appearances, and kindness is so often left aside.
Looking back now, I understand that the story also carries nuances inspired by very personal memories — though tragically exaggerated ones.

2. From concept to finished product, how long did it take to complete the film?

From writing the script to designing the puppet, storyboard, animatic, building the set, crafting the puppet, animating, post-production, and adding effects — I would say the whole process took around two years.

3. How would you describe your film in two words?

That's a hard one... maybe light and shadow, strength and fragility, silence and noise.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Financial challenges are almost always part of filmmaking — and even though we have a production company in Portugal and there's a national film institute that supports the industry, we still face many difficulties in getting projects off the ground.

Here in Europe, we don't have the same access to private investors, and that limits the creative and production process quite a lot, I believe.
But in the end, it's precisely these limitations that push us to find poetic and inventive solutions to keep telling stories.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience feedback video?

I was deeply moved.

I can honestly say there was a meeting of souls — souls that recognized each other.

The way you and the audience read the film touched me profoundly.
It was also such an honor to be compared to Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro.

Once, a Brazilian writer told me I was "the Tim Burton in a skirt"... time has passed, and today I feel that my work might be a sister to theirs, though it has its own identity.

Perhaps we share that natural access to shadows, but what truly drives me is diving into the psychological depths of my characters.

I've always been fascinated by human stories — I was that child who sat close to the older relatives during family gatherings, listening and absorbing every detail.

6. When did you realize you wanted to make films?

Ah... a deep sigh here.

It was a reconnection with little Eve.

When I was very young, we lived in a humble wooden house.

There was a room with a big table — it was my father's "office," but it was also used as a pantry and laundry room.

In that space, I created paper worlds, invented stories, and traveled through them.

I loved watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in stop motion.

I led the games with my cousins, created worlds, and everyone joined in.
In my mind, I could already see the costumes, the sets — little Eve already knew what she wanted.

But then life happened.

I was forbidden to draw at school by a teacher who threatened to expel me if I kept "doing things that way."

My mother, with the best intentions, asked me to study math "so I could be someone."

And so I did — I only returned to drawing years later, by chance, after graduating in design.

Then I began studying theater, drawing, and painting, and I kept investing in my artistic education.

I illustrated books — both literary and educational ones.
Then came the desire to tell my own stories and illustrate them.
Soon after, came the desire to see them in motion.

I made a small teaser, Old Lady, with no resources and with friends — that was when I reconnected with little Eve.

Later, I moved to Portugal, met Pedro, my husband and production partner.

He was already working with animation, so it was natural for us to start collaborating.

Pedro has an incredible authorial voice himself, and we've been supporting each other on this sometimes "winding" cinematic path.
I hope to bring many film-children and book-children into the world.

7. What film have you watched the most in your life?

That's a tough one...

But I can say that Coraline and Corpse Bride left a deep mark on me as an animator.

And in live action, Cinema Paradiso still moves me to this day.

8. What other elements of the festival experience could we and other festivals improve to better support your filmmaking career?

I think Instagram posts tagging our names help a lot, as well as feedbacks on IMDb.

And maybe a rating system that could count toward Oscar qualification? That would be amazing!

9. You submitted through FilmFreeway. How has your experience been with the platform?

It's been good overall.

I just think the discount for paid submissions could be a bit higher — and if the platform included more festivals, it would help filmmakers even more.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I really love rice, beans, grilled meat, and salad, but also seafood rice, grilled fish, and pizza.

Ah... hard to choose! :)

11. What's next for you? A new film?

At the moment, I'm in production on "Gary Contrary", a short film inspired by another story I wrote.

It has been quite a challenge, especially due to the limited crew and budget.

I've also been working for four years on a feature screenplay, along with a novel based on the same story.

In addition, I'm developing the idea of turning Carmen into a book, and another project about a grandson and his eccentric grandmother, both as a film and a book.

I have so many ideas written down — I just need to figure out how to live to be 100 (and healthy!) to bring them all to life.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how to tell so many stories through animation... maybe one day I'll move into live action!

As for the film screening on October 17th, that works perfectly for us, Allison!