MIFF 2022 Day 2 Masterclass : Regina Pessoa

 

Internationally acclaimed animation filmmaker Regina Pessoa addresses masterclass at MIFF

The balance between personal and universal is the strength of my films: Regina Pessoa

Common Subjects connect people easily

Mumbai, 31 May 2022

 

Common and simple subjects connect people across the universe easily, said renowned Portuguese animation filmmaker Regina Pessoa at 17th Mumbai International Film festival today. “I always select very common, humble and universal subjects as they connect people easily and use images as per my perspective which is very personal. This balance between universal and personal is the strength of my films”, said Regina while addressing a masterclass.

She said her films are based on personal experience, so the images are drawn by her rather than designed on computer. “I draw images of my film by myself, because they capture the real imagery, reflects my own visualization. Computer designed images can’t match this”, she added.

Elaborating more on the topic, Regina said, “I adopt an eight step process to do a film, which broadly includes: An idea or intention, motivation, documentary research, comfort zone, visual research, assuming a personal style, execution and final result.”

She talked about her first film, The Night which was made using technique of animated engraving on plaster plates. She pioneered a variety of animated engraving techniques in due course and made exemplary films like Tragic Story with a Happy End (2005), Kali the Little Vampire (2012) and Uncle Thomas - Accounting for the Days (2019).

The session was moderated by Dhvani Desai, a widely-acclaimed animation filmmaker from India.

Regina Pessoa, a Portuguese-born animation filmmaker grew up in a small village without television or cinema; received no formal education in the creation of moving images. However, the mysteries of life made her become a filmmaker. Her films have been shown at numerous film festivals all over the world and have won innumerable awards and distinctions including the Grand Prix at the Annecy International Animation Festival in 2006. In 2018, she became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Hollywood).

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