Felicia Konrad
Your project has entered in our festival. What is your project about?
Our music video EarthLove is an outburst of being filled with love and desire, loving Earth, and showing Earth love. In one way it is a physical and musical love letter that wants to send a message.
What are your ambitions with your project?
EarthLove is a music and dance film with humorous and spontaneous poetic touch that wants to inspire in a sensuous way and open into a more-than-human perspective, but also give space for reflection of our situation today.
Tell us something about your shooting? What pleasantly surprised you?
The collective smooth easiness and warmth of all of the 6 great dancers, Nidia Martinez Barbieri. Emelia Koberg, Isabella Linnea Eriksson, George Pelagias, Jerry Pedersen, Riccardo Zandoná, and
the choregrapher Miguel Cortes guiding the dancers, and the cinematographer Benjamin Zadigand his 2 camera assistants, Jonas Eneskär and Konrad Welinder. An atmosphere of honesty and generosity.
For what group of spectators is your film targeted?
We have no specific target with our film, we hope to reach many people, but as it springs from our small-scale intuitive art project I Still Live in Water we don’t count on that.
Why should distributors buy your film?
Maybe it is not so interesting for distributors to buy a music video film that soon will be released on Youtube. But if any distributor is interested, we welcome it.
How would you specify your work? What characterizes your film?
There is no specific synopsis to start with. We presented some scores to the dancers with the presentation of the music, the remix of EarthLove by the composer Kent Olofsson, and then on place, they were also some choreographic guidance by Miguel Cortés. – The cinematographer Benjamin Zadig and his 2 camera assistants, Jonas Eneskör and Konrad Welinder worked with handheld camera and the physical presence and sensitivity for the movement is very strong because of that. It is a bit the same with the editing by Jacob Nilsson, the dramaturgy grew from the film material and the music. The wholeness of it is a kind of spontaneous, playful simplicity and sincerity that I really like. And the collective sense is very important to me.
Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?
I have not decided to become a filmmaker, it has just happened to my own surprise, as an extension of our intuitive art project I Still Live in Water, (Felicia Konrad and Johan Haugen).
Who is your role model?
I don’t have any specific role models, in the world of art and film there are so many great artists that it is endless! But I am very grateful to my first and only mentor, the Swedish film director Jenifer Malmqvist who made the short film On Suffocation, shown at Sundance 2013, and broadcasted at ARTE 2014, and won the price for best short film at the Swedish Golden Beetle Gala 2014, and recently the very strong documentary; ”Daughters”.
Which movies are your favorites? Why?
The fictional films that have touched me in the last years are the Icelandic film Woman at War by Benedikt Erlingsson because of the activistic environmental theme, Memoria directed and co-produced by Apichatpon Weerasethakul because of the perspective it gives on sound and deep listening. And Everything Everywhere All at Once by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for its drastic surrealistic realness touching the quantum world.
Where do you look for inspiration for your films?
What gives me inspiration is the huge learning process of going into the life journey of more-than-human perspective, ”becoming with”(Donna Haraway), and inspiration from Hydrofeminism, Body of Water, and the essay: We are All at Sea, by Astrida Neimanis, Deep LIstening/Pauline Oliveros, but also many more that work with entanglement, multispecies, sensous learning. Co-existence in multiple ways. And of course Art performance and music is also very strong inspirational source.
Which topics interest you the most?
As I am an environmental activist all topics of environmental change and crisis are my focus, but as I experience that we are not separated from Earth, and everything on Earth is alive and sentient, and that ”We are all water in the same Ocean (Yoko Ono) that is the topics that keep me expanding and striving for to express this to increase awareness.
What do you consider your greatest achievement in your career?
(Now I am laughing when I shall answer this), I don’t see that I have a career, but I am very grateful that our intuitive art project now has made 2 short films, that I love.
What do you consider most important about filming?
I don’t know actually, for me personally it has been a complete surprise that I have gone into this world of filming.
Which film technique of shooting do you consider the best?
Handheld camera, I would answer as I don’t have any other experience. Our cinematographer Benjamin Zadig that has filmed both EarthLove and Precious Balance Walk used handheld cameras, and the result is a sense of nerve and a strong presence.
How would you rate/What is your opinion about current filmmaking?
Here in our city Malmö where I live, which has 360 000 citizens we have many incredible filmmakers in different genres, both fictional and documentary. Malmö is close to Copenhagen, and many good Swedish filmmakers have been educated at the prestigious film school there. And in this last years Swedish filmmaking really has taken space internationally in a broad sense.
What can disappoint you in a movie?
I am a bit sensitive about dramaturgy, it is important to me.
Who supports you in your film career?
Our first short arthouse film ’Precious Balance Walk’ (13.24) was supported by the Nordic Culture Fund, and by a regional foundation Boost Helsingborg, and our regional Filmcenter South of Sweden. ’EarthLove’ is supported by Filmcenter South of Sweden.
In the short audiovisual film ’she says, she says’ (7.46) 2022, a collaboration with the performance artist and professor in spatial arts Julieanna Preston, NZ, we did not have any offical support, it is based in our own work.
What are the reactions to your film? (opinion of spectators, film critics, friends and family)
Not so many have seen EarthLove, because it has not been presented publically yet, but that will happen in the end of August and in September 2023. – But some of the reactions from other artist colleagues has been ”…what a wonderful music/poetry/video/dance/works of art, with humorous element and also beautiful settings and relational bodies and movements and sensual hand and tree trunks meetings…” like a long caress into a dreamworld”
Have you already visited any of the prestigious film festivals?
I have not visited any prestigious film festival yet. EarthLove was asked to submit to the filmfestival Belgrade International Film Festival and recently became a quarter finalist in Best Music Video and Best Editing. For the matter of live screening there will be a screening at a cinema here in Malmö in september for EarthLove and in november 2023 that are planned now. For my concern both the local and the global perspective is very important.
What are your future plans in filmmaking carriere?
I have a specific idea for one more film, but it is a bigger project that will need longer preparation, much more money and a professional film producer. I keep my fingers crossed and hope it will be possible within a few years.
Our music video EarthLove is an outburst of being filled with love and desire, loving Earth, and showing Earth love. In one way it is a physical and musical love letter that wants to send a message.
What are your ambitions with your project?
EarthLove is a music and dance film with humorous and spontaneous poetic touch that wants to inspire in a sensuous way and open into a more-than-human perspective, but also give space for reflection of our situation today.
Tell us something about your shooting? What pleasantly surprised you?
The collective smooth easiness and warmth of all of the 6 great dancers, Nidia Martinez Barbieri. Emelia Koberg, Isabella Linnea Eriksson, George Pelagias, Jerry Pedersen, Riccardo Zandoná, and
the choregrapher Miguel Cortes guiding the dancers, and the cinematographer Benjamin Zadigand his 2 camera assistants, Jonas Eneskär and Konrad Welinder. An atmosphere of honesty and generosity.
For what group of spectators is your film targeted?
We have no specific target with our film, we hope to reach many people, but as it springs from our small-scale intuitive art project I Still Live in Water we don’t count on that.
Why should distributors buy your film?
Maybe it is not so interesting for distributors to buy a music video film that soon will be released on Youtube. But if any distributor is interested, we welcome it.
How would you specify your work? What characterizes your film?
There is no specific synopsis to start with. We presented some scores to the dancers with the presentation of the music, the remix of EarthLove by the composer Kent Olofsson, and then on place, they were also some choreographic guidance by Miguel Cortés. – The cinematographer Benjamin Zadig and his 2 camera assistants, Jonas Eneskör and Konrad Welinder worked with handheld camera and the physical presence and sensitivity for the movement is very strong because of that. It is a bit the same with the editing by Jacob Nilsson, the dramaturgy grew from the film material and the music. The wholeness of it is a kind of spontaneous, playful simplicity and sincerity that I really like. And the collective sense is very important to me.
Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?
I have not decided to become a filmmaker, it has just happened to my own surprise, as an extension of our intuitive art project I Still Live in Water, (Felicia Konrad and Johan Haugen).
Who is your role model?
I don’t have any specific role models, in the world of art and film there are so many great artists that it is endless! But I am very grateful to my first and only mentor, the Swedish film director Jenifer Malmqvist who made the short film On Suffocation, shown at Sundance 2013, and broadcasted at ARTE 2014, and won the price for best short film at the Swedish Golden Beetle Gala 2014, and recently the very strong documentary; ”Daughters”.
Which movies are your favorites? Why?
The fictional films that have touched me in the last years are the Icelandic film Woman at War by Benedikt Erlingsson because of the activistic environmental theme, Memoria directed and co-produced by Apichatpon Weerasethakul because of the perspective it gives on sound and deep listening. And Everything Everywhere All at Once by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for its drastic surrealistic realness touching the quantum world.
Where do you look for inspiration for your films?
What gives me inspiration is the huge learning process of going into the life journey of more-than-human perspective, ”becoming with”(Donna Haraway), and inspiration from Hydrofeminism, Body of Water, and the essay: We are All at Sea, by Astrida Neimanis, Deep LIstening/Pauline Oliveros, but also many more that work with entanglement, multispecies, sensous learning. Co-existence in multiple ways. And of course Art performance and music is also very strong inspirational source.
Which topics interest you the most?
As I am an environmental activist all topics of environmental change and crisis are my focus, but as I experience that we are not separated from Earth, and everything on Earth is alive and sentient, and that ”We are all water in the same Ocean (Yoko Ono) that is the topics that keep me expanding and striving for to express this to increase awareness.
What do you consider your greatest achievement in your career?
(Now I am laughing when I shall answer this), I don’t see that I have a career, but I am very grateful that our intuitive art project now has made 2 short films, that I love.
What do you consider most important about filming?
I don’t know actually, for me personally it has been a complete surprise that I have gone into this world of filming.
Which film technique of shooting do you consider the best?
Handheld camera, I would answer as I don’t have any other experience. Our cinematographer Benjamin Zadig that has filmed both EarthLove and Precious Balance Walk used handheld cameras, and the result is a sense of nerve and a strong presence.
How would you rate/What is your opinion about current filmmaking?
Here in our city Malmö where I live, which has 360 000 citizens we have many incredible filmmakers in different genres, both fictional and documentary. Malmö is close to Copenhagen, and many good Swedish filmmakers have been educated at the prestigious film school there. And in this last years Swedish filmmaking really has taken space internationally in a broad sense.
What can disappoint you in a movie?
I am a bit sensitive about dramaturgy, it is important to me.
Who supports you in your film career?
Our first short arthouse film ’Precious Balance Walk’ (13.24) was supported by the Nordic Culture Fund, and by a regional foundation Boost Helsingborg, and our regional Filmcenter South of Sweden. ’EarthLove’ is supported by Filmcenter South of Sweden.
In the short audiovisual film ’she says, she says’ (7.46) 2022, a collaboration with the performance artist and professor in spatial arts Julieanna Preston, NZ, we did not have any offical support, it is based in our own work.
What are the reactions to your film? (opinion of spectators, film critics, friends and family)
Not so many have seen EarthLove, because it has not been presented publically yet, but that will happen in the end of August and in September 2023. – But some of the reactions from other artist colleagues has been ”…what a wonderful music/poetry/video/dance/works of art, with humorous element and also beautiful settings and relational bodies and movements and sensual hand and tree trunks meetings…” like a long caress into a dreamworld”
Have you already visited any of the prestigious film festivals?
I have not visited any prestigious film festival yet. EarthLove was asked to submit to the filmfestival Belgrade International Film Festival and recently became a quarter finalist in Best Music Video and Best Editing. For the matter of live screening there will be a screening at a cinema here in Malmö in september for EarthLove and in november 2023 that are planned now. For my concern both the local and the global perspective is very important.
What are your future plans in filmmaking carriere?
I have a specific idea for one more film, but it is a bigger project that will need longer preparation, much more money and a professional film producer. I keep my fingers crossed and hope it will be possible within a few years.