LA CHANSON DE LA PAIX
by Olivia Agostini
I chose the title "La chanson de la Paix" for my first short film to wink at the Medieval tradition of allegorical writing, and in particular, to the "Roman de la Rose". I liked the idea of expressing a message through symbols, of talking about politics using a totally unpolitical language, of merely telling a story.
The plot is very simple, indeed. The main character, a young man called Eugenio, lives in a shoe-shaped country ruled by a rich man - better known as "The Knight" -, who owns a seven-floor palace. Eugenio is an ordinary man, not particularly smart, but hopeful and innocent, and that is why, one fine day, he wakes up and decides he has to enter the Palace. He must try and release the Dove that the Knight himself has imprisoned in a cage on the rooftop, long ago. The Dove represents Peace, of course. And Peace… Peace is Peace. And we all need Peace, now and always.
It took me nearly two weeks to shoot and edit "La Chanson de la Paix". It was a real challenge, since my parents (yeah, I can't afford a rent, at this moment, so I'm still living with them) are both writers, and that means they are basically stuck at home all the time.
I'm convinced that if you have something to say, you will say it in any way, with every possible means. And you will find somebody ready to listen to you and support you.
So, I'm really grateful to the opportunity the Festival de Cine Internacional de Barcelona has given me. And I'm very happy that they granted a Special Mention to my film.
It's funny, but for some strange reasons, it seems that many milestones of my life are linked to the city of Barcelona.
Peace, as you might have noticed, is one of my favourite topics. I feel we need to repeat this word as much we can, or we will forget even the concept which lies behind it.
So, here's just another lil' contribute of mine to this discussion :)