Lady Filmmakers Film Festival 2019 – Crystallica

Flourishing dancing nymphs, a diamond woman, a golden man. Crystallica is a metaphor for women’s empowerment and self-love. Of flourishing and letting others flourish around.

Interview with Writer/Director/Editor Nina Caspari

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

In my working practice, I am combining snippets of dreams to form whole new stories on their own. I am using the stylistics of poetry as visual translation ~ Audiovisual Poetry. In creating imaginative dreamlands I invite the viewer to dive into surreal metaphors of life.

The idea of Crystallica came up during a daydream on a plane. A daydream of a powerful woman, confidently walking through a surreal landscape of clouds. And Crystallica was born.

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

If you are a lover of the art of moving image and keen to experience surreal metaphors of life, you will enjoy the kaleidoscopic choreographies and the visual surprises in an old-school Hollywood setup - all shot on 16mm.

Crystallica

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The universal theme of the movie is self-love. The idea that you first have to love yourself in order to be able to love others.

The source of love lies within yourself.

(Inspired by philosopher Erich Fromm's - 'The Art of Loving')

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

When I started making the movie I was not really aware that it was about self-love in the first place.

I thought about it more as a woman's love declaration towards a man, finding out later that it was so much more than that.

This is a big part of my working process in film as in photography. Most of my inspiration comes from my dreams. By visually translating my most vivid and memorable dreams I am giving shape to the inner workings of my subconscious. This process has become a powerful tool to freeze time and emotion. And opened up a lot of surprises.

behind the scenes of Crystallica - Director Nina Caspari with choreographer Enora Oplinus and her dreamdancers

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I heard a lot of times that the imagery of Crystallica has a beautiful and powerful impact and sticks in mind. People are enthusiast about the visual surprises and delighted as it gives them a strong and positive feeling and makes them dream away.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Not yet...

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

I would love to get Crystallica seen by an as wide audience as possible, as it is an important universal theme packaged in a visual delight and in this way accessible for a wide public.

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

I would love to come on board with sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors and journalists to amplify Crystallica's message.

For my next project, I am looking for a producer though.

behind the scenes of Crystallica - The Crystallica crew in full action in ‘Studio Regie’

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

I would love Crystallica to inspire people to loosen the tightness of life and open up for dreaming. To gain strength in starting to love themselves, to embrace ease and trust in their lives and being kind with themselves to get get the ability to truly being kind with others.

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

What if you start loving yourself?

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

I am currently working on a feature film script on emotional abuse.

As emotional abuse is invisible in most cases and much more difficult to detect than its physical counterpart, I aim to combine fiction with experimental sequences of imaginative and surreal metaphors of abuse.

It is going to be a sharp thriller of beautiful but horrifying imagery, which draws attention to this still commonly accepted grievance of society.

Crystallica poster

Interview: October 2019

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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

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Crystallica

Flourishing dancing nymphs, a diamond woman, a golden man. Crystallica is a metaphor for women’s empowerment and self-love. Of flourishing and letting others flourish around.

Length: 4:06

Director: Nina Caspari

Producer: Nina Caspari

Writer: Nina Caspari

About the writer, director and producer:

NINA CASPARI is a German film director and photographer, currently based in London. The main focus of her work lies in taking the meaning of life into pieces and reconstructing it through her own gaze. In giving shape to imaginative dreamlands she invites the viewer to dive into surreal metaphors of life.

Key cast: Anna Caspari (Diamond Woman), Claude Musungayi (Golden Man), Enora Oplinus, Melissa Mihaly, Tugba Cetinkaya, Sarah Mancini, Linne Dierckx, Julie Thomas (Dreamdancers)

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

Facebook: Nina Caspari

Twitter: @CaspariNina

Instagram: @audiovisualpoetry

Hashtags used: #ladyfilmmakers #officialselection #ladyfilmmakersfestival #beverlyhills #losangeles #femalefilmmakers #womeninfilm #womeninarts #crystallica #oldschoolhollywood #16mm #synchronizeddancing #sfx #vfx #imagination #audiovisualpoem #audiovisualpoetry #director #filmdirector

Website: www.ninacaspari.com

Other: Vimeo

Funders: Self-funded, with kind support of Studio Regie and Freelance Camera

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Lady Filmmakers Festival / Beverly Hills, California - 28th September 2019

TBC"