IRIS - Graduation film HKU
As a child, I was frequently asked, “Iris, why don’t you have a father?” To me, a strange question. That I was being raised by 2 mothers and did not see my father a lot, I considered to be perfectly normal.
In the animated film IRIS, I share my origin story. The quest of my mothers who, in the 90s, searched for a suitable man to fulfill their wish. In the film I highlight the coincidences and events in their life that lead to the decisions that were made. And those decisions lead to a new life, my life.
Rol: Design, animation and production
Animation & production
Iris Pontoni Wachowicz
Sound & music design
Yigit Yesildag
Screenings
Curitiba, Brasil
FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE ANIMAÇÃO DE CURITIBA
Brighton, England.
To be human programme
https://www.brightoninternationalanimationfestival.com/
Amsterdam LGBTQ+ FF – MADE IN HOLLAND – shorts
https://rozefilmdagen.nl/nl/2023/made-in-hollandInhoud wissel
Initiative of The Lighthouse Initiative.
It is with great pleasure that I proudly present you with your certificate for your film, IRIS, which has been selected as a Nominee at the 2022 Student World Impact Film Festival (SWIFF). Your film stood out to us out of more than 5,000 entries from 100 countries. Some of the judges’ comments on IRIS:
“Visually striking and engaging”
“Artistically unique and creative”
“Incredibly impactful message”
Today The Lighthouse Initiative (TLI) is run by Mark and a group of driven students dedicated to making meaningful change in their community through their passion for filmmaking and creative expression. TLI is empowering 65,000+ aspiring filmmakers in 160 countries through a student film festival, free filmmaking courses, a published children’s book, and an inspirational podcast. (source)
https://www.lightfilmfest.org/swiff-2022/iris-kea-pontoni-wachowicz
Finalist
“Since 2016 we have been organizing “Demakijaż” – an annual women’s film festival. Year after year, you can see feature films and documentaries from every corner of the world, each of them showcasing talent, strength and determination of women behind and in front of the camera.”
https://www.animatiefilmfestivalzwolle.nl/programma/
Shortfilmfestival located in Wesel, Germany for Dutch and German filmmakers (especially for the Lower Rhine region).
Film premiere at the HKU graduation exhibition:
Peek behind the scenes
Texture experiments
For the visual style I had in mind: associations with paint, the cosmos, something inside a body. A new life, a new beginning. something magical/spiritual.
I challenged myself not to draw too literally but to use symbolism instead. The spaces in which the characters are located are not actual, real spaces. They are “emotional” spaces. I wanted to visualize the “feeling” world of the characters.
Concepting sketches. How to visualize emotions, death, distance, etc.
Process, tests
