NÓRUA

Exploring The Subconscious to Find a Narrative

A woman runs a hostel for travellers in the middle of nowhere, where she is visited every other day by her blind father who alternates his nights between the homes of his daughter and his wife, who have not spoken to each other for years. However, the two women maintain a peculiar long-distance relationship of mutualism, helping each other to survive indirectly, and conducting the father who commutes by tricycle between their homes, from a distance, through an unusual system involving telephone booths. This is a film about regret, forgiveness, telephones, and communication, where no words are spoken.

In this presentation, João Gonzalez will dive into his process of filmmaking, from conceptualisation to production, with a special focus on his writing process -- a combination of a deep exploration of his subconscious with old distorted memories, as well as music improvisation. As cas studies, João will mostly be using Nórua, the animation film he is currently developping, and Ice Merchants, his previous film.

João Gonzalez is an Oscar-nominated Portuguese director, animator, illustrator, and musician with a classical training in piano. His short film "Ice Merchants," which premiered in Cannes Film Festival in 2022 and was awarded the Critics Week Jury Prize for Best Short Film, was the first ever Portuguese film to receive an Oscar nomination, and is currently the most awarded Portuguese film of all time, having received more than 130 international awards. João has a great interest in combining his musical background with his artistic practice, as composer and occasional instrumentalist in all the films he makes.

The Rendez-Vous de l’Institut Series is generously supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. You will find a full calendar of the Fellows’ Talks.