"When the Cranes appear on the shore and introduce the Man to the world of beauty and dance, he needs to decide what priorities in his life are."
„By making this film I tried to process the elusive thoughts I had since I started making a living in animation regarding being so overwhelmed with inner-pressure and obsessive relationship with art that the perspective of what is actually important in life becomes distorted”
While it was only one of the angles I constructed the script from, it was important for me to create a story which conveys the destructive influence on family and relationships that the self-obsession and the craving to escape reality has on the people that are closest to us. The film is vaguely trying to capture the family falling apart and the man slowly removing himself from the picture in order to enter the world of dance of the cranes, which like mermaids only aim to drag him away from reality and his responsibilities as a father and a partner.
I experimented with mixing gouache with liquid glycerine on glass but it felt way too liquid and soft and after some weeks of testing the technique, the setup etc. I ended up with oil paint mixed with the everyday cooking companion – rapeseed oil. Due to a strict deadline, the animation was done digitally first and then the printed out frames were used as references to trace the image on glass with paint.
Written & Directed by Natasza Cetner
Sound & Music by Phil Brookes
Produced by Mikołaj Błoński
Creative Producer: Mateusz Kowalczyk
Executive Producers: Błażej Pieczonka, Maha Alabbad, Majed Z. Samman, Tariq Alkhawaji
Distribution Specialist Anna Waszczuk
This film was created as part of the production of the animation anthology commissioned by Ithra.
