PIANO-SOLEIL, 8min., Brazil, Dance
Directed by Caio Amon
A young woman feels trapped in a claustrophobic reality. She yearns for vast and awe-inspiring landscapes, where freedom of movement and communion with nature are possible. Yet she realizes that the wondrous beauty of these natural environments is threatened by mankind’s seemingly unrelenting exploitation of Mother Earth.

https://montrealmusica.com/album-videos/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The film was an international commission from Canadian pianist Marc Bourdeau to Brazilian filmmaker Caio Amon and thought as an experimental music video for a piano piece in his last album.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It was a process of more than a year, since the screenplay was written during the pandemics but shot after it was controlled. It developed from a film about confinement to a film about freedom in large natural landscapes.

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

Spatial freedom.

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

The filming was done in a Brazilian island called Fernando de Noronha. It is located in the middle of the Atlantic, about an hour by plane from the coast. Getting there was already an adventure and the shooting was done with minimal crew into the wild. The dancer Camila Vergara also faced a complicated challenge to dance in a long dress on top of cliffs and wet by the sea water.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was glad about how people were impacted by the red dress that the dancer wears and the choreography she created. I was double glad since I'm married to her and we could collaborate artistically in this exciting project. I was surprised how people connected to the music even though it is a dissonant contemporary piece. I believe that the visuals helped this connection to happen, that music videos have this power of helping people to listen to music in a more open and careful way. This is why I'm interested in the dialogue between music and film.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
It sort of happened because of my involvement with Classical music. I'm graduated in Composition at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and I started filming documentaries about the projects I was involved in. My father is a film director and I was witnessing him work since I was a child. I guess this also played a role when I started to make films later on my life.

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

2001 - a Space Odyssey, by Stanley Kubrick

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I think you're doing a great job. I'm not sure if you already do this, but a annual big festival with live screenings and awards for the awarded films in the monthly version. A sort of big annual festival.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Perfect.

10. What is your favorite meal?\

Moqueca pretty good. It is traditional Brazilian fish stew with lots of palm tree oil and coconut oil. Very interesting.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I'm finishing two more music videos for the same pianist: Jour de Pluie (piano piece) and Doux Temps (soprano and piano). I'm very excited about this dialogue between cinematography and Classical music. Both videos should be online in April.