You Are Mythical (80:00)
YOU ARE MYTHICAL
(2018, Spain, 80min) documentary feature film
You Are Mythical tells the story of seven young European artists who connect daily life and 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.
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. Quests of a common culture that makes us humans, and mythical.” —PV
AWARDS You Are Mythical won 5 awards including two film festivals in Los Angeles, and has screened in 8 countries. EUROPEAN PROJECT Crossing Stages (2013-2015) arts project co-funded by the European Union. Coordinator: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain). Co-organizers: University of Paris (France), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Artimbanco (Italy), ASTA Association-TeatrUBI (Portugal). Associates: Odin Teatret (Denmark), Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid (Spain). I IMDb
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 Web/multimedia: 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
EUROPEAN PROJECT
You Are Mythical is produced by Crossing Stages (2013-2015), arts project co-funded by the European Union. Pedro Valiente participates as communication director including digital work (social media, sites), media (feature film, documentary film, videos), art (performance, video art), visuals (photo, illustration), writing (book, press, essays), and technology (augmented reality, robotics). I Coordinator: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain). Co-organizers: Paris Diderot University (France), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Asociación ASTA-Universidad de Beira Interior (Portugal), Artimbanco (Italy). Associates: Odin Teatret (Denmark), Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid (Spain). I Crossing Stages
You Are Mythical won two awards in Los Angeles, Best International Film in Indonesia, Best Documentary Film in Romania, and Best Film Local Award in Spain. • 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 Crossing Stages I Awards
AWARDS
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Film festivals in 8 countries: US, Spain, Greece, Ecuador, Romania, Jordan, India, and Indonesia • Open Window International Film Challenge 2018, February 17-21, Kolkata, India • 40 Lugo International Week of Auteur Cinema 2018, September 10-21, Spain • Borobudur International Film Festival 2018, August 19-22, Indonesia • International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra Awards 2018, August 4-9, Greece • Quito Independent World Film Festival 2018, March 13-16, Ecuador
SCREENINGS • Summer Outreach Program Documentary Films and Mythology 2020, July 1-15, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid • International Conference Myth and Audiovisual Creation 2018, October 15-26, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid • The Royal Film Commission 2018, November 26, Amman • Jordan Writers Society 2018, May 6, Amman
SCREENINGS
BEHIND SCENES
Myth I Life I Visual Poem
MYTH is the opening segment for each character/Greek myth. Traditional 2D animation by visual artist Javier Chavarría narrated by Sebastian Salt (English) and Nauel Furrer (Spanish).I Penelope, eternal love, expects Ulysses. Antigone, family devotion, protects her family. Jason, achieving the impossible, recovers the Golden Vellocino. Siren, calls of desire, attracts sailors. Oedipus, maternal passion, marriages his mother. Narcissus, selfcenter, falls in love with himself. Ulysses, strength in life, battles over the years.
Myth
LIFE is the center segment where each person develops why he/she feels connected with the myth. They write scripts that turn into documentary film style. Producer Alfredo Miralles directed Jason in Portugal. I Paloma Zavala waits for her love in an inner island. Aline Jaulin is a woman split in two. Gonzalo de Morais fights to change his career. Marta Rodríguez listens to the Sirens to transform her life. Pelayo Álvarez is willing to move away. Mihaela Wabra dances using mirrors. Odysseas Fissas navigates untiringly.
Life
VISUAL POEM links Myth and Life showing how people feel as characters. Producers Alfredo Miralles and Irene Gómez made Penelope. Alfredo Miralles choreographed Siren. I Penelope, performance. Antigone, music video. Jason, Bunraku theater. Siren, contemporary dance. Oedipus, video installation. Narcissus, Flamenco dance. Ulysses, music video.
Visual Poem
You Are Mythical is a transmedia project where new narratives set the audience free to follow their own path. As a road map, you can watch the film (80:00), stories (10:00), visual poems (3:00), and/or animations (1:00).
Penelope Builds Ships (3:11) Notodofilmfest
You Are Mythical (80:00) feature film I Penelope is Waiting (7:00) video installation I Penelope Builds Ships (3:11) video art I Crossing Europe (30:00) documentary film I Crossing Stages book I Crossing Stages web series 29 videos, 72 interviews I Crossing Stages websites Crossing Stages, You Are Mythical, Penelope is Waiting
ABSTRACT: Creative process of You Are Mythical in the context of a transmedia universe of productions and platforms. I AUTHORS: Robert Wilson, Bill Viola, Peter Brook, Robert Lepage, Martha Graham, André Bretón, Pablo Picasso, Vsevelod Meyerhold, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht. I KEY WORDS: Transmedia, experimental, technology, documentary film, multimedia, visual arts, performing arts. “Approaching different language feels like Bunraku theater: close manipulation of puppets hidden from the audience. A concept linked to the hieroglyphic idea by Artaud, Meyerhold or Brecht. Mise-en-scene is mise-en-images. Inside visual spheres, dematerialized, representation is renovated as a delirium for the fantastic. Perhaps trying to overcome the imitation of life or its form as a dream-machine. You Are Mythical explores non-fiction writing and the reconfiguration of the spectator’s view. We challenge young Europeans to link their daily life (real) with classic myths (fiction) as they produce scripts that turn into hybryd filmmaking.” —PV I Behance I You Are Mythical film I Penelope is Waiting installation I You Are Mythical site I Penelope is Waiting site I Crossing Stages site I Crossing Stages I UC3M
ULYSSES TRANSMEDIA
The film took place for 3yrs in 5 countries: Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, and Slovenia. I Cast from 5 nationalities: Paloma Zavala, Marta Rodríguez, Pelayo Álvarez (Spain), Aline Jaulin (France), Gonzalo de Morais (Portugal), Mihaela Wabra (Slovenia), Odysseas Fissas (Greece). I 7 spoken languages: Spanish (Oedipus), English (Siren), French (Antigone), Italian (Penelope), Portuguese (Jason), Slovenian (Narcissus), and Greek (Ulysses). I Crossing Stages YouTube
Crossing Stages arts project co-funded by the European Union. General manager Sonsoles Herreros Laviña, director Aula de las Artes, UC3M. Artistic director Sergio Blanco, theater writer/director. Communication director Pedro Valiente, filmmaker.
TEAM You Are Mythical is a film by Pedro Valiente coordinated by artist/producer Alfredo Miralles and actress/producer Irene Gómez. Cinematography by Daniel Rodríguez del Pozo, filmmaker. Sound design by Fernando Ampuero, filmmaker. Original music by Juan José Talavera, contemporary composer, and Javier Gorostiza, artist/engineer, director of Robotics Department, UC3M. Performances by Paloma Zavala, Marta Rodríguez, and Mihaela Wabra, et al.
CAST: Paloma Zavala, Aline Jaulin, Gonzalo de Morais, Marta Rodríguez, Pelayo Álvarez, Mihaela Wabra, Odysseas Fissas. Each character follows the same structure: MYTH: Animation introducing classic myth; LIFE: Documentary film connecting myth and character; and VISUAL POEM: Video installation showing aesthetic endings. The film blends non-fiction, fiction, animation, video art, and performance. I Crossing Stages Vimeo
Photo
BACK TO BEFORE
Take me back to before
I now know what it's like
To have lost everything to the world
This world is both cruel and unkind
and it's nothing more than we deserve
If I asked you could you change your mind?
Take me back
Back to your heart
Back to your door
Back to before
This town and all its clowns
Passed us by
Passed us by never to return
This town and all its clowns
are no friends of mine
And nothing we can do will turn back time
If I asked you could you change your mind?
Take me back
Back to your heart
Back to your door
Back to before
FARIO Ulysses theme by artist/engineer Javier Gorostiza from Fario, Madrid’s upcoming band. SOUND DESIGN Fernando Ampuero and Pedro Valiente made You Are Mythical sound design featuring extraordinary artists: Penelope: David Schombert, Origamibiro, Plusplus, Pietnastka, DJ Harsman. Antigone: Lanark, Blue Dot Sessions, Siri Nielsen courtesy of the artist. Jason: Alexandre Bateiras, Kai Engel, Celestial Aeon Project. Siren: Kevin MacLeod, Tchakore Konyembe, Digital Primitives, Chain Gang, Det 13. Oedipus: Strange Zero, Broke for Free, The Fucked Up Beat. Narcissus: The Underscore Orkestra, Medianti, René Aubry courtesy of the artist. Ulysses: Ergo Phizmiz, Lessazo. IYou Are Mythical features 55 tracks including Back to Before by Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club
JERRY FISH & THE MUDBUG CLUB Back To Before by Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club from The Beautiful Untrue album, courtesy of Warner Music Spain, is You Are Mythical main track. We truly thank Jerry Fish for his great contribution to the film. Jerry is a unique and powerful voice in the independent scene. His Electric Sideshow and circus extravaganza are pure magic!!
Music
ANIMATION BY JAVIER CHAVARRÍA I Javier Chavarría is a visual artist, art director, costume designer, and lecturer based in Madrid. After animation for You Are Mythical (2018) he did art direction for That Was Life (2020) featuring Petra Martínez and Anna Castillo. [SPANISH] “En el marco del Proyecto Europeo Crossing Stages el director Pedro Valiente desarrolló su segundo largometraje: You are Mythical. Una serie de historias interpretadas por jóvenes europeos que, con los mitos clásicos como pretexto, reflexionan sobre sus inquietudes personales. La película ha recibido el Premio del Público en el Expression Art Movie Film Festival, en Los Ángeles (Estados Unidos), también un Premio a la Excelencia en Borobudur International Film Festival (Indonesia). En su recorrido internacional ha sido seleccionado en Grecia, Ecuador, India y Jordania.
Animation
[SPANISH] En España se ha proyectado en la Semana Internacional de Cine de Autor de Lugo y en el Congreso “Mito y Creación Audiovisual” de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Hoy se presenta en Puertollano dentro de la selección oficial de Atlantis Film Awards. Para crear transiciones entre las diferentes historias, Pedro Valiente me propuso hacer unas animaciones con el tema de cada mito al que se aludía. Estas imágenes pertenecen a las diferentes animaciones, excepto la última, que la hice para la web del proyecto cuando aún no estaba terminada la película.” —Javier Chavarría I Drawings for You Are Mythical I Artwork for Crossing Stages I IMDb films
WEBSITE DESIGN BY SARA CONDE I ART DIRECTOR: PEDRO VALIENTE I Crossing Stages (active 2013-2019) designed by alturaX where Eloy Segura, Javier Chavarría, and team work on communication, graphic design, visual art, and education. Mythical (active 2017-2019) designed by Sara Conde, media professional/live events producer. Sara also developed this site, Flying Fish Work (active 2019-). All projects, coordinated by Pedro Valiente, present minimal designs and multimedia/transmedia work connected with multiple productions and online platforms.
Website
BEHIND SCENES
EUROPEAN PROJECT