Under echoes of the past, Neto and his friends improvise rhymes about their future.

Interview with Writer/Director Jessica Candal

Watch Only Yesterday on Sofy TV

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to tell a story about the transitional period between adolescence and adulthood. A story that would focus on the tension between dream and reality, desire and realization.

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

The film shows a day in a life of the main character “Neto” and his crew during the hours leading up to their graduation party. From his day job at a gas station to the final rap gig at the party, Neto and his friends improvise rhymes and share their dreams.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Through the personal journey of Neto and his reality in the hip hop culture in Curitiba´s outskirts, the film explores the classic theme of coming of age, a period full of possibilities, when everything is yet to be determined. It’s an age when many paths seem possible, but it’s hard to take the first step towards a specific one.

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

The original story was set in a small town in the '90s. Originally, the characters’ dreams were set in the rock and grunge music universe. However, during casting, the actors and actresses brought their own experiences to their parts. Their personal dreams were linked to the hip hop universe, based on their real-life experiences in Curitiba’s suburbs. From this interaction with them, we incorporated the universe of rap and the city’s outskirts, but we kept the essence of the project, which was to deal with the tension between dreams and reality. All the rhymes in the film were created by the actors themselves. Some of them were improvised during filming and others were previously written.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been positive. The film was selected by many festivals, including international events, which shows the interest of the audience in the theme and stories discussed in the film.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We are happy that the film is being screened to a varied audience, opening the doors to interesting discussions surrounding the theme.

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

The idea is to bring the film to a wider and international audience. We want to promote a debate surrounding the theme and also to show the audience an excerpt of the reality in the outskirts of Curitiba.

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

The initial intention is to reach film festival directors, in order to promote the short film in other festivals. However, since “Only Yesterday” is the first of three short films and also part of the concept for a feature film, we would also want to connect with sales agents, buyers and distributors to collaborate with in future projects, specially the feature film “Horizon”.

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

At the heart of the film, we hope to start a discussion on how external forces interfere in the fulfillment of personal dreams and desires. In the film, the social inequality and the diminishing welfare policies disrupt the path of Neto and force him to question the way he navigates this context.

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

How are personal goals and dreams disrupted by the social/political climate? And what can we do to face this issue?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

As previously mentioned, “Only Yesterday” is the first in a series of three short films investigating the theme of coming of age. I hope to dive further into this topic with the release of the feature film "Horizon", which I also wrote and is currently in the funding phase.

Interview: February 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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

Only Yesterday

Under echoes of the past, Neto and his friends improvise rhymes about their future.

Length: 20:00

Director: Jessica Candal

Producer: Antônio Júnior

Writer: Jessica Candal

About the writer, director and producer:

JESSICA CANDAL holds a BA in Audiovisual (ECA-USP) and she is a specialist in Visual Poetry (EMBAP). She directed the short films “Ainda Ontem”, “Barbara na cidade”, “Teia” and “O Espelho de Ana”.

ANTÔNIO JÚNIOR is Producer and owner of Grafo Audiovisual production company. His productions have received more than 150 awards at festivals and were shown on broadcasters. He’s also the founder of the Olhar de Cinema Int’l Festival.

Key cast: Matheus Moura (Neto), KVS (Ana), Maicon Douglas (Gigante), Guilherme Henrique (Craca), Felipe Shat (Fu), Lucas Maciel (Polenta), Betinho Celanex (Betão), Eloisa Oliveira (Dayane)

Looking for: film festival directors, journalists

Website: http://aindaontem.grafoaudiovisual.com/

Other: IMDB

Made in association with: Grafo Audiovisual

Funders: Antônio Júnior and Aly Muritiba

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Clermont-Ferrand/France - From 2 to 9 February (Saturday 2, 12:00 I Sunday 3, 17:00 I Monday 4, 18:00 I Tuesday 5, 11:00 I Wednesday 6, 14:00 I Thursday 7, 14:00 I Friday 8, 13:00 I Saturday 9, 18:00.