Super 8mm/Video/Photo Stills
Leaves sewn on to film leader
TRT: 8min16sec
An experimental interpretation of the classic film “Black Orpheus.”
Rio is more than beautiful beaches and carnaval queens. It is also a mountainous landscape covered in lush vegetation and dense favelas, it is a beautiful unpredictable urban jungle. “Saudade“ loosely translates to a yearning, to long for, to miss, nostalgia. The intent with this film was to create a “saudade” for all the beautiful chaos that is Rio. It was imperative that the film “felt” like Rio which is why I physically sewed leaves into the film.
Like many, “Black Orpheus” was the first film I ever saw representing Afro-Brasilian culture. Images from the movie have resonated with me throughout my life. This film developed organically and as I began to “piece” it together I realized that it had parallel elements to “Black Orpheus."