EARTHLOVE, 6min., Sweden
Directed by Felicia Konrad, Johan Haugen
EarthLove is a poetic music/dance film with 6 dancers, filmed in the city of Malmö, south of Sweden. "There’s a revolution that needs to happen and it starts from inside each one of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with Earth. We’ve been homo sapiens for a long time. Now it’s time to become homo conscious." Thich Nhat Hanh

http://www.istillliveinwater.com/
https://www.facebook.com/www.istillliveinwater.com
https://www.instagram.com/feliciavoiceperformer

Get to know filmmaker Felicia Konrad:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

A strong sense of that we need to become aware of the fact that we are not separated from Earth, we are a part of Earth.
And the inspiration to find the playfulness in shifting into a wider perspective sensing ourselves becoming with Earth.
Love Earth = EarthLove

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The process of making the film spanned a period of 7 months, from starting preparing with the cinematographer Benjamin Zadig, and the choreographer Miguel Cortés who had the role of guiding the improvising dancers, Nidia Martínez Barbieri, Emelia Koberg, Isabella Eriksson, Jerry Pedersen, George-Yiorgos Pelagasi and Riccardo Zandoná. Instead of writing a synopsis I wrote scores to the dancers and the team, and also sent them the EarthLove remix so that they could start their process before the filming. In the end of November 20222 we filmed a wekeend, and then Jacob Carlsson and me were editing 3 days in March 2023, and then Benjamin Zadig did the color-grading in June 2023. We had to adapt to the extreme working situation
for our very very busy cinematographer Benjamin Zadig.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Embracing flow.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
We were very lucky with the whole process, it was with great easiness we made this film.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Me and my partner, Johan Haugen, assisting director started to, we were so touched.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I had never thought of wanting to make a film, it happened by chance while working on our intuitive art project 'I Still Live in Water'. Many people thought that we should make a film and kept saying that, so finally I just grabbed the moment and started applying for money, I never thought we should get some, but we did. And then I got a great mentor, a swedish known director Jenifer Malmqvist (her short film On Suffocation won a price at Sundance 2013, and she recently won a price with her new documentary: Daughters, here in Sweden) so thanks to her I got a super film team and together with 6 great nordic performance artists we made our first film Precious Balance Walk (13.23). It was overwhelming and beautiful to make this film, so I just feel so grateful that it happened.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Stalker, Tarkovsky.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career? - To be honest, as I am balancing between being an artist and a filmmaker, I don't know so much about making a career in filmmaking. I spontaneously really like the way you have developed your festival, it is inspiring.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
I think Filmfreeway is a very good platform, but actually, I found your festival through another artist that I am in contact with, she shared a streaming that you did where her film was included. I thought it was great that you streamed films, and also the expression of your work on your webpage.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Vegan Vietnamese pancakes; Bánh Xèo.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes, I have started a very slow process to understand what way I shall take to make the next film with 6 singers this time and maybe with a focus on glaciers! - But I will also do live performance concerts; Body of Water together with my constellation Breathing Water and interactive performances together with other artists this coming summer at our local beach here in our city Malmö, south of Sweden.