CANNES SHORT FILM CORNER - Seven Questions About Being Twenty-Seven
A film about a spiritual purge, achieved through dreams.
Watch Seven Questions About Being Twenty-Seven on Facebook
Length: 13:01 minutes
Director: Alejandra Carmen Díaz
Producer: Alejandra Carmen Díaz and Stephanie Danielewicz
About the director and producer:
Alejandra Carmen is a Mexican poet and a filmmaker; studied in Paris and Mexico and graduated with the project “Seven Questions About Being Twenty-seven” which was recently presented at the Cannes Film Festival (2016), at the Marché du Film.
Stephanie Danielewicz is a Mexican filmmaker and producer; studied in Mexico City and has graduted as a producer with “Seven Questions About Being Twenty-seven”.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Producers, buyers, distributors, film festivals, press.
Funders: Ayuntamiento de Santiago Tianguistenco, Estado de México, México. Ayuntamiento de Jilotepec, Estado de México, México.
Made in association with: Rubén Díaz Treviño
Release date: Finished in October 2015.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was personally and spiritually at a very difficult stage: I started to accept and become more aware of life’s nature. I was trying to clear up my head and recover my spirit, so that I could never go back to that dark point in my life.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
We all go through hard times and we must understand that behind all these difficulties, there is always light and beauty. This film could help people feel relieved and accompanied. We are not alone in the world, there is always someone feeling and going through the same kind of emptiness and sadness; so we overcome those together. And I think that this is one of art’s main functions.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It is a very universal film; it develops itself through seven common questions about destiny and how uncertain everything is. This is something everyone can relate to, because we have all gone through a difficult stage where you grow up and start realizing how difficult everything is, and how nothing is as you expected.
How has the script and film evolved over the course of its development and production?
It started with a very complex idea about the soul’s malady, and how this situation is reflected physically and medically. But it ended up being a study of the mind and the spirit. A journey through emotions and memories that alter our human essence.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film has only been shown at CENTRO, the university where I studied and at Cannes Marché du Film with the short film corner audience. So far, people have been moved and thrilled by the beauty and depth of the images.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has surprised me. I never thought people could cry and feel quite overwhelmed by some of the images, which have been described as “poetic”.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want to be a part of people’s lives. I want people to see this film and keep on making more films that are meaningful to someone.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Buyers, producers, distributors and film festival directors.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want as many people in the world to see this. I would like to think this could be something special to them, like the music and movies that comfort my spirit and strengthen my limbs.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is there hope after darkness?
Would you like to add anything else?
This is a film that was inspired by my own experience, and it was also based on my sister’s testimony and other important musicians like Kurt Cobain and Janis Joplin, because they died at a very young age, where you are still finding your path in life; and now they becamepart of my passion and my work. So I dedicate this film to spirits, music and poetry that transcend, healing and making things better.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I think there’s a lot of people giving plenty of importance to the aesthetics of filmmaking instead of focusing on the content; maybe because of the pressure we have as a generation, when it comes to think that everything has already been said and done before. But this is actually a challenge. There are still so many concepts to discover and explore and I pretty much think that sound is the future of filmmaking.