Canada Shorts - Entelechy
A haunting experimental, docu-musical about global warming and changing the dream. A woman is guided by a dream therapist onto a shamanic journey through the inner and outer worlds of being. Within the dream state she works to shift her dream to a vision of love, and in doing so succeeds in shifting the universal dream as well. It is a film about the state of the world, the destruction of the earth, and a dream of a brighter unified future.
Interview with Writer/Director Ariana Delawari
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I had finished making an album and started seeing images. I built a story from aspects of songs and from the imagery I was seeing in my mind's eye. Much of the story came from dreams as well. I had traveled all around the planet and I had seen a lot of the destruction of the earth up close.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film will hopefully inspire you to come build a new beautiful dream for the earth. A unified, peaceful, loving dream that is in harmony with the natural world.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
In my life my personal experiences have given me compassion and curiosity about the world. I'm an Afghan American who has been documenting Afghanistan since 2002. That experience and all of my other travels came through some of my inner landscape and transformation as well. After I finished my documentary about Afghanistan, I was invited to many places and saw up close how the earth is heating, the forests and animals are endangered, the wars are breaking the people. It has been a continued journey of learning.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
As I mentioned, it began with the album. Then I was seeing visuals and I began to write a story. Some of the story came from the actual song lyrics and what I was communicating in those songs. Much of the story came from my travels and what I have seen in the world. The rest of the story came from my dream world and more intimate personal experiences. It was just coming to me in different ways and it wanted to be born, so I wrote it.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been very positive. The most beautiful reaction was from a girl who watched our first private screening. She had just lost her brother and she said the film helped heal her heart.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I really had no idea how people would respond. I made the film exactly as I imagined it with an amazing team of very awesome collaborators bringing their gifts to the story. I feel happy that people were so inspired by it. It just reaffirms that it's best to make what's in our hearts and break rules in how we make it.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The message of this film is very much in alignment with what is happening on the planet right now and with our current political crisis. It's literally right on point with all of it. We must change the dream together. The film is about shifting our collective dream. I hope it inspires people to shift their awareness.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
It's a short film, so we really just need journalists and viewers to share it around at this point. It already had its online premiere.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
It was made to inspire the new dream. A beautiful, peaceful, harmonious dream for planet earth. That's the ultimate impact we would want.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we change the dream? What is needed to forgive and surrender? How do we unify and heal the earth?
Would you like to add anything else?
We are meant to live in a beautiful dream, not a nightmare. We have the innate power to birth this new dream together.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Producer Nicole Disson just line produced an awesome new web series. Cinematographer Berenice Eveno shot the series and our editor Mariana Blanco edited the series. It's called "Junior Web" and it was directed by Zoe Cassavettes. Mariana Blanco also just edited a show for MTV called "Transformation" about the transexual community. I just released my new double album of the same name, "Entelechy". I have a few other exciting things happening that I can share in the new year.
Interview: November 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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Entelechy
A haunting experimental, docu-musical about global warming and changing the dream. A woman is guided by a dream therapist onto a shamanic journey through the inner and outer worlds of being. Within the dream state she works to shift her dream to a vision of love, and in doing so succeeds in shifting the universal dream as well. It is a film about the state of the world, the destruction of the earth, and a dream of a brighter unified future.
Length:
9 min 35 seconds
Director:
Ariana Delawari
Producer:
Nicole Disson
Writer:
Ariana Delawari
About the writer, director and producer:
Ariana Delawari (writer / director of Entelechy)
Ariana is an Afghan American filmmaker, musician, and activist. Entelechy, meaning fulfilling one’s potential in Greek, is Delawari’s second full length album. It is a double album. Entelechy I was produced, co-written, and engineered by Butchy Fuego (a.k.a. Electronic artist San Gabriel) and Entelechy II is the same collection of tracks presented as acoustic and un-produced featuring Salar Nader – a fellow Afghan-American and a famed virtuoso of the tabla. Ariana also wrote and directed a short film of the same name, Entelechy, which is a continuation from the double album. The short film is an experimental docu-musical about global warming. It had its world premiere at Cleveland International Film Festival, has screened at Boston International Film Festival, Deep Focus : Women In Film Festival, Brooklyn Short Film Festival, and recently had its online premiere on FLAUNT. The film is a about global warming and changing our inner and outer dreams.
Ariana graduated with a B.A. in film production from USC School of Cinematic Arts. We Came Home was her award winning feature length directorial debut. The film is a ten year documentation of post 9/11 Afghanistan, her family story, and the story of the making of her first album Lion of Panjshir. Lion of Panjshir was recorded in both Kabul and Los Angeles. Delawari collaborated with a few American band mates and three Afghan elder master musicians. The album was partially produced and mixed by filmmaker David Lynch. Lynch released the critically acclaimed album on his record label and Delawari later re-released it on her own imprint, She King Records.
Ariana’s film We Came Home was just acquired for worldwide distribution. The film won the grand jury prize at Sao Paulo International Film Festival, the Jury prize at Mexico International Film Festival, the Jury Award at Rajasthan International Film Festival, the Echoes of Earth Award at Flickers : Rhode Island International Film Festival, and screened at many festivals around the world including AFI FEST, AFI DOCS, Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival, The United Nations Film Festival, The International Film Festival of India, and many others.
Ariana has won awards for her photography of Afghanistan in both the International Photography Awards and the Korean Times New York. Some of her writing and lyrics were recently published in “One Story Thirty Stories: An Anthology of Contemporary Afghan American Literature”, which won the silver medal in the Independent Publishing Awards for Best Anthology of 2012.
Delawari was a speaker at the inaugural TEDx Kabul in October 2012. As one of the first women of Afghan descent to perform live in Afghanistan in over 30 years, Ariana became a peace activist in Afghanistan, and initiated “Inspire Peace”: an art / activism campaign with the intention of inspiring Afghan youth.
Nicole Disson (producer)
Recognized for her ability to cultivate talent, while fusing this energy into unique settings and situations, Nicole Disson is a producer, performer and curator based in Los Angeles. She produced and co-starred in Sleepover LA, a short film set at The Standard, DTLA (SXSW '14, EFM Berlinale, NOWNESS) and Fruits De Mer, a short film set at Chateau Marmont featuring PJ Ransone and C. Thomas Howell, commissioned by NOWNESS.
Nicole conceived, produced and performed in THE SERIES, a multi-disciplinary production and event that cross-pollinates a social experience with the performing arts, previously set on the rooftop of The Standard, Downtown LA from 2010 - 2012 and more recently set Upstairs at Ace Hotel Downtown LA. Also under THE SERIES umbrella, Nicole directed and curated Live Arts Exchange’s opening night performance event at The Bootleg Theater (’13 and ’14).
Nicole served as project manager for choreographer Benjamin Millepied's company, L.A. Dance Project’s, 2014 fall residency at The Theatre at Ace Hotel and has repeatedly produced pieces for renowned ephemeral artist Lita Albuquerque, including SPINE OF THE EARTH 2012, under The Getty Museum and LA><ART’s Pacific Standard Time Performance and Public Art Festival.
Nicole has performed at Los Angeles Country Museum of Art (LACMA), REDCAT, SOHO House West Hollywood (featured performer for their New Year's Eve celebration), LA><ART’s Gala at the historic Greystone Mansion and various regional theaters across the Nation, including the world premiere of Frank Zappa’s musical JOE'S GARAGE at in Hollywood.
Key cast:
Ariana Delawari
Lita Albuquerque
Bo Foxworth
Daniel Blinkoff
Lila Dancsecs
Michael Dunn
Austin Westbay
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Journalists would be great
Release date:
it already had its online premiere on FLAUNT
Where will it screen in the next month?
It will screen at Canada Shorts on December 10th