about
Synopsis
In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.
Québec, Canada – 2024 – 15 min
Colour | No Dialogue | Cinemascope | 5.1
Cast
Palomo, Ruperto & Palaye
Credits
director, writer, producer Alison McAlpine
editor Carolina Siraqyan
director of photography Nicolas Canniccioni
music Ben Grossman
sound Samuel Gagnon-Thibodeau
mix Stéphane Bergeron
visual effects Charles Marchand
colour Marc Boucrot
produced by Second Sight Pictures
in association with GreenGround Productions
Director’s Notes
To tell a tall, uncontrived, surprising tale in picture and sound and re-define what a story can be.
To work with texture, movement, light, shadow, reflections, sound, rhythm- no text- creating cinema that you want to touch like an exquisite painting, or a poem that you want to experience again and again, offering the viewer a space to think and imagine for themselves.
To express not the well-known anthropomorphic view of animals, in particular donkeys, nor the familiar perception of astronomical observatories but rather, to immerse the viewer in a sensorial experience which feels animalic, fresh and unforgettable.
“Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of the soul.” – Ingmar Bergman
Photo Credit: Alison McAlpine
Photo credit: Nicolas Canniccioni
Preparing for Filming, La Silla Observatory. From left to right: Ruperto, Ramiro Torres, Palomo, Palaye, Pablo Martinez, Alison McAlpine, Nicolas Canniccioni.
Photo Credit: Javier Duk
La Silla Observatory. From left to right: Andrés Espinoza, Nicolas Canniccioni, Alison McAlpine, Pablo Martinez. Photo Credit: Ivo Saviane
