Soul

A poetic expedition, where a wanderer looks for her soul mate, solely to find it close to her.

Date
2020

Role
Film Director

In this film, I wanted to explore the formalistic endeavour of telling a story from a characterʼs back. To be able to construct a story without the actorʼs face and its expression of emotion, but having the framing, art direction and costume design to convey the narrative.

The poetic text helps the image by guiding the character’s path. The film is divided into chapters, like a book, where the viewer wanders through each place.

This dramatic choice is punctuated by surreal and mysterious shots that complement the character’s search for her lost love, whose touch appears and disappears as if desired and not lived.

This loss, or possible loss, guides us through spaces where there is no soul. These places and nature itself are the scenarios for the development of the character, which can only reorient towards herself.

Thus, throughout the story, the absence of the other becomes an encounter with emptiness and with the character through the mirror. The lost love story is transmuted into self-love, from her back to her face.

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Director, screenplay, narration and editing: Mónica Santos
DOP: Manuel Pinto Barros
Costume/fashion design: Katty Xiomara
Actress: Analícia Graça
Music composer: Pedro Marques
Hair and make-up: Marcello Nigro
Camera operator: Pedro Santasmarinas
Assistant camera: Ricardo Lúcio

  • French Academy Awards

    Nominated for the Césars Awards, France, 2020

  • Greenwich Village Film Festival

    Best Short Animation Award, USA, 2019

  • Palm Springs International ShortFest

    Audience Award, USA, 2019

  • ADF – Autores de Fotografía Cinematográfica

    Best Photography, Argentina, 2019

  • Flickerfest - international Short Film Festivalm

    SAE Creative Media Institute Award for Best use of Digital Technology in a Short Film, Australia, 2019

  • Portuguese Cinema Academy

    Sophia Awards, Best Short Film Animation, Portugal, 2019

  • Monstra Festival - Portuguese Competition SPAutores

    Audience Award - Portuguese Competition, Portugal, 2019

  • As iFF Spring, USA

    Best Cinematography, Best Animation, Best Score, USA, 2019

  • LIsFE - Leiden International Short Film Experience

    General Award, Netherlands, 2019

  • Fastnet Film Festival

    Best Original Music, Best Cinematography, Ireland, 2019

  • Festival Stop Motion Montreal

    Best Independent Film, Canada, 2019

  • KuanDu International Animation Festival

    Best Original Score, Taiwan, 2019

  • Animafest - World Festival of Animated Films Zagreb

    Audience Award, Croatia, 2018

  • Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival

    Public Award, Portugal, 2018

  • Hiroshima International Animation Festival

    Special Jury Prize, Japan, 2018

  • Montpellier International Festival of Mediterranean Film

    Young Jury Award, France, 2018

  • Caminhos do Cinema Português

    Best Animation Award, Honourable Mention From the Press, Portugal, 2018

Art direction and costume design

Process, objects and sets