When developers and local authorities begin dismantling a row of historic buildings on Montreal’s St Laurent boulevard, they stumble upon the resistance put up by a burlesque venue.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Aristofanis Soulikias

Watch Last Dance on the Main here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! I made this film out of my outrage for what was taking place in my native city Montreal: a row of historic buildings was being demolished, after being expropriated, to give way to high rise office buildings, altering thus forever a distinctive down town neighbourhood. As an architect who spent most of his career in building conservation, I felt compelled to make a case for the value of a city’s built and cultural heritage which has grown organically over time. The triumph of a cabaret resisting expropriation and the symbolic weight of dancers winning over bulldozers was my ultimate inspiration.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The film has been enthusiastically received from a broad spectrum of audience. Young children are fascinated by the animation, elderly people relate to some of the history told, while most people are intrigued by the story and its optimism. In three minutes you will learn about Montreal and the history of its Red Light district, current events, you will be immersed into a unique visual aesthetic, mostly made by hand, and be entertained by original music and a bitter sweet conclusion.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Upon the film’s completion, I expected a good local festival run, as it was relevant to the here and now of Montreal. I soon realized that the film spoke to the hearts of people around the world since the struggle between built heritage and new and speculative development is essentially universal. From a personal viewpoint, I love the big city and its street life, and I believe that successful cities are the ones that have been built slowly from the ground up and not the other way around. Last Dance on the Main is about all these themes.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

As an animated documentary, its script relied heavily on the interviews I conducted. I had a rough idea of the story, but eventually I had to distill 3 minutes of film out of 2 hours of dialogue! Visually, I thought of using paper cut-outs as well as drawn animation, but once above the light table, it seemed more sensible to use paper cut-outs only, and play between lighting them from below and lighting them from above as to contrast a warm and richly textured aesthetic with a colder and more graphic one. The film was still in its storyboarding phase two months before the deadline and much creativity went in it during shooting. I was also very fortunate to have my music composer and sound designer Tristan Capacchione come on board late into the project when a composer I was assigned had to unexpectedly quit. For details on every step of the process visit https://aristofanisblog.wordpress.com

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I generally had good reviews, mostly on the style of animation. Of course, whenever I was present in screenings, people were curious to find out more about the story. A friend thought that it transported him to Montreal. Telling was the reaction of Montreal filmmaker Tony Asimakopoulos, who must have been very drawn into the story as to feel outrage for what is happening.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

There was one reviewer from Montreal who found the film idealistic and nostalgic. What the critic missed was that the film isn’t really looking to the past, but really to the future and in sustainable ways of developing cities.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope to make this story even more visible on the internet, since its festival cycle is coming to a close.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

It would have been nice to see Last Dance on the Main be shown within the regular programming of a Montreal cinema.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I hope to raise awareness on the value of a city’s urban fabric and to make citizens understand that it is their space too which is violated.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Who owns the city’s heritage?

Would you like to add anything else?

There was minimal post-production for this film, namely 42 frames towards the end that I altered in photoshop. Still, it was a frame by frame process. Whatever one sees, is what was laid down on the light table!

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am currently planning another silhouette animation, this time on medieval Persian manuscripts.

Interview: October 2016

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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Last Dance on the Main

When developers and local authorities begin dismantling a row of historic buildings on Montreal’s St Laurent boulevard, they stumble upon the resistance put up by a burlesque venue.

Length: 3 minutes and 7 seconds

Director: Aristofanis Soulikias

Producer: Aristofanis Soulikias

Writer: Aristofanis Soulikias

About the writer, director and producer:

Aristofanis Soulikias is an architect turned film animator, who is keen in telling stories about the built environment and more.

Key cast: Luce Lafontaine, Louis Rastelli, Donovan King, Johnny Zoumboulakis.

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):

Funders: Aristofanis Soulikias, Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema.

Made in association with: The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Release date: 1 August 2014