Interview: Gonzalo Escobar Mora

^{06. 07. 2021}

U četvrtak, 08. srpnja s početkom u 21 sat u sklopu diskurzivnog programa U kvadrat u Kino klubu Split prikazuju se kratki filmovi Entuzijasti (Entuhusiasts, 2020)  Gonzala Escobara Morae i Deveti film (1980) Dušana Tasića. Četrnaesto, ujedno i posljednje izdanje programa u sezoni prikazuje ostvarenja u kojima autori naglašavaju (filmski) prostor slike/kadra koristeći ga za strukturiranje narativa. Tim povodom razgovarali smo s Gonzalom koji nam je ukratko predstavio svoj filmski projekt. Program je javan i ulaz slobodan ali je zbog ograničenog broja posjetitelja potrebna prijava putem online obrasca.

• How did you come up with the idea for the film?

This film pretty much came from the following:
1) a book I was reading by Remedios Zafra called “The Enthusiasm: Precariousness and creative work in the digital era
2) a short story by one of my favorite colombian musicians that includes a painting with a “weird” energy.
3) all my walking around in that apartment for the last 3 years
4) my anxiety and doubts about leaving my current “stable” job in order to “fully” dedicate to my practice at least for a year.

• Can you tell us a little bit more about the painting in the film?

I found this digital printed painting at a second hand store.  We hung it above our bed and I truly find it soothing to look at, and to lose yourself in thoughts.  It is like a visual version of relaxing music, without its cheesiness.  I also believe that its graphic simplicity creates something like a  narrative tension, that could go from relaxing to menacing.

• Can you tell us a little bit about the production process?

I was preparing this film before the pandemic exploited.  I had to stop the casting process but continued doing test shoots at my apartment using my partner and myself as stand-in’s. As life started to feel somehow stagnated and the staying at home order was affecting me emotionally and creatively, I decided to shoot the film with my partner and I, as the official cast; taking advantage of the “self-documentary” nature of the project, and that I was living at the location!!  The production of the film kept me sane and mentally active. I don’t necessarily think it was the most efficient production, (having to do everything practically by myself), with the exception of some moments in which my partner and my roommate gave me a hand.

• What are you working on now?

I am about to move back to Colombia.  I’ll be there in July.  While reconnecting with an old friend recently, I ended up considering an option for a next project.  She runs a restorative justice program for sanctioned minors in Bogota.  So far, the idea is to create an audiovisual component for their next pedagogical activities, and if the workshops go well, I would like to work and collaborate with some of the participants, developing a feature film.  I am in the middle of considering how to create a meaningful interaction with the kids, with their families, and with the people who work with them every day.  I am also considering the ethics behind these kinds of projects, as I have mainly written projects inspired by my own experiences. I am excited about this challenge.

Razgovarala: Sunčica Fradelić

Gonzalo Escobar Mora filmaš je i umjetnik pokretnih slika, a BA diplomu likovnih umjetnosti dobio je pri School of Art Institute u Chicagu (SAIC). Kroz studij poseban interes pokazuje za filmsku i video umjetnost i audiovizualne instalacije, a sad već više od 10 godina istražuje pokretne slike s fokusom na eksperimentalne metode i nefikciju. Magistrirao je filmsku režiju na film.factory programu pod mentorstvom Béle Tarra. Umjetnički se formirao na različite načine, te stekao bogato iskustvo kroz niz projekata u kojima je sudjelovao na različitim pozicijama, od režije, produkcije, fotografije, montaže, umjetničke direkcije i raznih pozicija u odjelu kamere. Dobitnik je nekolicine međunarodnih nagrada, priznanja i grantova. Opširniju biografiju možete pronaći na poveznici: GONZALO_ESCOBAR_MORA_short_CV.