EUROPEAN PROJECT

Communication director of Crossing Stages project co-funded by the European Union, coordinated by Spain along with France, Italy, Portugal and Slovenia, connecting new generations with classic myths through the arts. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid: Sonsoles Herreros Laviña project manager, Sergio Blanco artistic director, Pedro Valiente communication director.

EUROPEAN PROJECT

2013-2015 Arts Project co-funded by the European Union

Crossing Stages is an arts project that connects new generations with classic myths to build cultural bonds. Coordinated by Spain along with France, Italy, Portugal, and Slovenia, it’s the story of a group of artists who embark themselves in the multicultural adventure of searching a common identity in Europe today.

Crossing Stages is an arts project with dance, theater, performance, music, film, writing, technology, and visual arts. The main segment took place in 2013-2015 (workshops, lectures, publications, symposiums), and selected activities have been in progress for years in different countries. I Photo: (Up) Jesús Antón (Down) PV I Crossing Stages I Site

UC3M TEAM Project manager: Sonsoles Herreros Laviña I Artistic director: Sergio Blanco I Communication director: Pedro Valiente I Dance director: Eva Sanz I Theater director: Abel González Melo I Theater coordinators: Paloma Zavala, Laura González Cortón I Dance/media coordinator: Alfredo Miralles I Media coordinator: Irene Gómez

PARTNERS Coordinator: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Co-organizers:  University of Paris (France), Ljubljana University (Slovenia), Artimbanco (Italy), ASTA Association/TeatrUBI (Portugal). Associates: Odin Teatret (Denmark)​​​​​​​, Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid (Spain) I © 2013-2015, 2018, 2024 Crossing Stages UC3M

“Along with New York Film Academy, and Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City, I’ve developed most of my academic work at UC3M where I was selected by a national contest, and recognized as associate lecturer (profesor asociado) for Bilingual Program.

Crossing Stages aimed to connect young people from different countries with a common cultural link: Greek myths. Through the university as a natural space to foster modern thinking and human development, this performing arts/media project included productions, workshops, lectures, academic encounters, and publications.

Audiovisual media turned into the pivotal platform of the project. In the frame of Work Integrated Learning (WIL), I designed media experimenting with a variety of approaches and goals: 01 Document and promote the project internationally. (Initial task assigned by UC3M). 02 Create academic resources (printed, visual, digital). 03 Develop ways of learning through media and the arts. 04 Connect participants; 20+ institutions, 12 languages, 9 countries. 05 Produce content (film, digital, sites...).

I worked along with the project manager and artistic director. In just two years, we made a book, feature film, documentary film, three sites, 29 videos, and 72 interviews. Also, dozens of essays and articles, hundreds of illustrations, and thousands of photos. Merging artists, professionals, and scholars was a key part of our work.” —Pedro Valiente

You Are Mythical (2018, Spain, 80min) documentary feature film

SYNOPSIS “Penelope is a woman in search of love. Antigone dissolves into herself. Jason fights a Dragon. Siren listens to the call. Oedipus escapes his fate. Narcissus looks at the mirror. Ulysses is an untiring traveler. You Are Mythical explores the quest of a common culture that makes us humans, and mythical You Are Mythical explores the quest of a common culture that makes us humans, and mythical.” I IMDb

OVERVIEW IYou Are Mythical tells the story of seven young Europeans who connect their daily life with classic myths. It’s a transmedia documentary film with fiction, animation, video art, visual and performing arts. It was produced in seven languages and five countries: Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, and Slovenia. I Site

CAST Paloma Zavala, Aline Jaulin, Gonzalo de Morais, Marta Rodríguez, Pelayo Álvarez, Mihaela Wabra, Odysseas Fissas CREW Director/writer/producer: Pedro Valiente I Executive producer: Sonsoles Herrenos Laviña I writer/coordinating producer/assistant director: Alfredo Miralles I Coordinating producer: Irene Gómez I Director of photography: Daniel Rodríguez del Pozo I Editor: Fernando Ampuero I Sound design: Fernando Ampuero, Pedro Valiente I Sound mix: Eduardo Burgos I Sound: Marc de Beltrán, Andrés Valencia, Eduardo Burgos, Jaro Basterrechea, Eric de Montreuil, Matías Zemljic, Irene Gómez I Additional editing: Adriana Luque I Postproduction: David Maroto I Website: Sara Conde I Art/titles: Michelle Arellano, Mael Rodríguez I Narrator: Nauel Furrer, Sebastian Salt TECH INFO Running time: 80min I Format: HD video, color I Country: Spain I © 2018 Crossing Stages UC3M I Flying Fish Work

You Are Mythical won two awards in Los Angeles. • Best Experimental Film Alive Documentary Film Festival 2019, Los Angeles, US • Audience Award, Expression Art Movie Film Festival 2018, Los Angeles, US • Award of Excellence Best International Film, Borobudur International Film Festival 2018, Indonesia • Best Feature Film May Award, 12 Months Film Festival 2019, Romania • Best Film Local Award, Atlantis Film Awards 2018, Spain I Awards

Penelope is Waiting (2015, Spain, 7min) video installation

We imagine an empty space in the end of the world, which is here. Inside everyone. A long wait full of love where everything is an affirmation of life. (Maybe this is why Ulysses by James Joyce ends: “yes I said I want yes”)

SYNOPSIS Penelope is Waiting is a contemporary portrait of the classic myth. A woman in love expecting Ulysses’ return who is locked up in an imaginary island that doesn’t exist. Penelope is viewed in different ways: looking through a balcony, sleeping under a table, floating around columns, and making coffee. I IMDb I Site

CAST Paloma Zavala CREW Director/producer: Pedro Valiente I DP: Daniel Rodríguez del Pozo I Coordinating producer/assistant director: Alfredo Miralles I Coordinating producer/editor: Irene Gómez I Music: Juan José Talavera I Photography: Juan Manuel Núñez I Visual art: Javier Chavarría I Webite Sara Conde TECH INFO Running time: 7min I Format: four HD videos, black/white I Country: Spain I A production by Crossing Stages UC3M I © 2015 Crossing Stages UC3M

ITALY Centro Artistico il Grattacielo, Livorno, Tuscany, June 2015 I SPAIN ARTSevIlla, Sevilla, December 2016 I Museo La Neomudéjar Madrid I UK Plymouth Art Weekender May 2017 I Arts University Plymouth  October 2017 I JORDAN In the Margin Festival by Factory at JNGFA, Amman, June 27-November 3, 2018 I Madrid Press I UK Press

Penelope is Waiting started with the idea of having a robot to allows spectators to operate a video camera, moving through a slider, from their smartphone as part of a creative lab on visual art, industrial design, and technology. The main element is four simultaneous videos of 7min as a Cubist scene by Picasso. The audience is free to navigate. SCREEN 1 Dream: Sleeping under a table. SCREEN 2 Vanish: Vanishing, adrift of herself. SCREEN 3 Life: Making coffee. SCREEN 4 Look: Looking sout of the balcony. I Site

Crossing Europe (2015, Spain, 30min) TV documentary film for TV and online networks, produced by Crossing Stages, aired on Canal 22 International, Mexico.

SYNOPSIS Crossing Europe is a portrait of Europe today. Artists embark themselves on a challenging adventure to create together through culture a new community. I IMDb

Crossing Europe was filmed in 5 countries and 12 languages from 2013 to 2015 in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, and Slovenia. The film follows Crossing Stages project that presents a contemporary view on classic myths to promote European culture. I Site

CAST European project participants CREW Director/writer/producer: Pedro Valiente I Executive producer: Sonsoles Herreros Laviña I Writer/coordinating producer/AD: Alfredo Miralles I Coordinating producer/postproduction supervisor: Irene Gómez I DP: Daniel Rodríguez del Pozo I Editor/additional photography/sound design: Fernando Ampuero I Sound mix: Eduardo Burgos I Sound: Andrés Valencia, Jaro Bastarrechea, Marc de Beltrán, Eduardo Burgos I Collaborating agencies: iTek, Threevents TECH INFO Running time: 30min I Year: 2015 I Language: Spanish, Subtitles: English I Format: HD video, color I Country: Spain I © 2015 Crossing Stages UC3M

“Dance, performance, theater, film, music, technology, visual arts, and academic activities branch out in a unique project. Artists, professionals, scholars, and university students work in the arts as an essential foundation of European culture. The film soundtrack includes Silver by The Grey Havens, Esperance by David Schombert, Stange Row, 6am, and Dripping by Slogan, as well as songs by other bands like Broke for Free, Origambiro, and Kevin McLeod.” —PV

Crossing Stages Web Series (2013-2015, Spain) 29 videos and 72 interviews, produced by Crosing Stages. Director/producer: Pedro Valiente. SYNOPSIS Crossing Stages Web Series by Crossing Sytages, connecting Europeans with classic myths, produced by professionals, lecturers, and upcoming artists from UC3M. I IMDb I Site

CREW Director/writer/producer: Pedro Valiente I Executive producer: Sonsoles Herreros Laviña I Writer/coordinating producer/AD: Alfredo Miralles I Coordinating producer/director: Irene Gómez I DP: Daniel Rodríguez del Pozo I Additional photography: Fernando Ampuero, et al TECH INFO Running time: Short films I Year: 2013-2015 I Language: Spanish, Subtitles: English I Format: HD video, color I Country: Spain I © 2013-2015 Crossing Stages UC3M

Crossing Stages book with media card featuring 14 works: documentary film, digital media, and interviews. I alturaX

VIDEO Vimeo I YouTube PHOTO Flickr SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook I X I CROSING STAGES UC3M I Site I Behance

Projects I Selected Projects I University