IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME played to rave reviews at the August 2020 DANCE & MUSIC Festival.

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Marta Renzi: My work is always low-budget. I had been making a lot of work outdoors where I was at the mercy of the elements:

– natural light, threat of rain, etc. This was first initiated as a way to take control of that by creating a “soundstage”
– in a friend’s cabin in Vermont. Pretty ironic that I then chose to make a score that featured rain and wind!

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short?

April to November

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

absence / memory

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

As I said, this project was designed to avoid obstacles – and I pretty much did!
After my first preview screening, I cut out about 2 minutes – so perhaps that reflects an obstacle:
in an abstract film with no compelling narrative, it’s easy to fall in love with the mood and the shots and not edit it sufficiently

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

We have all become comfortable watching and talking about film.
Talking about non-narrative dance is hard.
Music is an expectation when dance is on camera (as I said above).
When people are asked to stress the positive, they find plenty to say.
It’s impossible to view an interracial couple in abstraction.
All black and white films are not film noir.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

6. How did you come up with the idea for this short film?

I wanted to work with these two dancers who had both been in many projects of mine but not at the same time.
Hmmmm, that’s almost the synopsis: “a man and a woman inhabit the same space, but not apparently at the same time.”
I knew Aislinn & David would work well together, since both are comfortable improvising, but that there’d also be a certain remove
because they weren’t pals. I was leaning toward shooting it in black & white – partly quite literally because of the skin color of the
two dancers. I knew that Charles Caster-Dudzick, a cinematographer I’d worked with often, is drawn to 16mm film, black & white etc.

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

Maybe THE BICYCLE THIEF by Vittorio de Sica

8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway, what are you feelings of the submission platform from a filmmaker’s perspective?

Just fine.

9. What song have you listened to the most times in your life?

Probably Nada Tudu by the Brazilian pop singer Marisa Monte – I don’t have many songs on my iphone, and this one is always good on long car rides.
Here’s a short film I made to Monte’s music:

Besties

10. What is next for you? A new film?

I made this one remotely over the course of a few weeks in the early months of Covid:

Dancing is an Old Friend – Trailer:

I’m now working on a live – but socially distanced – project with the 2 artistic directors and 13 dancers of Island Moving Company
in Rhode Island. We start shooting tomorrow!