This week’s Staff Pick Premiere — “Guaxuma” from filmmaker Nara Normande — is a beautiful exploration of memory. It’s also one of the most highly celebrated animated films of the year, earning more than 60 awards, including Academy Award-qualifying laurels at SXSW and Palm Springs Shorts Fest.
Set in a hippie Brazilian beach town, the film chronicles Normande’s unconventional childhood and the loss of her dear friend. With a delicate mix of animation styles, the sand-filled frames flow from hazy memories to dreams, bringing to life scenes of happiness and melancholy — and ultimately carrying us on an unforgettable and emotional journey.
In anticipation of today’s exclusive release of “Guaxuma,” we reached out to filmmaker Nara Normande to learn more.
On the inspiration to tell such a personal story:
“I already wanted to do a personal film about Guaxuma, which is a beach in northeast Brazil. Then in 2010, my best friend Tayra had a fatal accident and making the film became a necessity. I spent the most joyful moments with her there, so I decided to focus the film on our friendship. After I wrote the first draft, it was a five year process before we began shooting. This was an important time for me; I had to get used to the idea of making the film and let the time appease my feelings. Making this film meant dealing with happy and sad memories at once. I was filled with emotions — especially while I was shooting the photos at the beach and filming the cemetery scene.”
On crafting memories into a cohesive narrative:
“I have a notebook that I used to write, draw, and make collages about my memories and feelings for the film. It was hard to select what was going to be in the film; I rewrote the script many times before arriving at the final draft. The work with Eduardo Serrano (my editor) was also very important. We did 12 versions of the animatic before we began shooting. During the shoot, I also took off a few sequences and added some new ones.”
On developing a unique look:
“‘Guaxuma’ is about my memories and dreams. To represent them, I mixed different styles of animation and live-action footage. Since story is told on the beach, I wanted to use sand as the basic element from which to connect and sew all of the narratives. I had many visual inspirations for the film: the photos on the beach were a homage to Agnès Varda; the puppets came from the short ‘Bottle‘ from Kirsten Lepore; the accident scene was inspired by the work Polish animator Aleksandra Korejwo does with colored sand.”
(For a peek behind the scenes, check out this “Making of” video.)
On the challenges of making the film:
“I faced many challenges throughout the process, but I think the most difficult part was controlling my emotions during the making of the film. And telling such a personal story to a big audience.”
On advice for aspiring filmmakers:
“When we are beginning to make cinema, the hardest thing is believing in ourselves and having the confidence to make what we want. So, my advice to aspiring filmmakers is to be confident and persistent. Don’t give up.”
On what’s next:
“Next up: I’m developing my first feature film, ‘The Heron,’ co-written and co-directed by Brazilian filmmaker Tião. The film will be produced by Emilie Lesclaux from Cinemascopio, producer of ‘Bacurau’ (Cannes Official Selection), and co-produced by French production company Les Valseurs, which co-produced ‘Guaxuma.'”
