Chicago IL (Milwaukee Premiere)
Sylvia, a middle-age ballerina, navigates the simplicity of her day in the city as she considers her place amongst a profession and society that view her as an outlier.
Johanna Unden is a Chicago based filmmaker whose work explores female identity and coming of age narratives. She is interested in challenging the representation of women in cinema and examining their presence on screen outside the scope of domesticity and other gender conventions. Her study of philosophy as an undergraduate student encouraged her eagerness to interrogate questions, conventions, and systems present in everyday life. Her love of storytelling helps brings those conversations to the screen. Johanna's approach to cinema aims to challenge structure and convention while amplifying female voices. Her work is fictional narrative based but she is interested in exploring alternate modes of storytelling in the future.
Johanna is from Northern Minnesota, where she completed her undergraduate degree in theatre with minors in film studies and philosophy. This is also where she got her start in the film industry working on micro-budget feature films. Nicknamed the Zenith City, Johanna's hometown was the inspiration behind her independent production company Zenith Film Company. She is currently based out of Chicago, IL where she attends DePaul University as an MFA Film and Television Directing candidate.
Johanna's previous directing work includes five short films. Her project 'Unshakeable' was selected for the University of Minnesota Duluth's art and design showcase where it won the CLA Merit and the William G. Boyce / Friends of Tweed awards. In addition to writing and directing, she has worked in various roles on a number of short films, commercial projects, and feature length films.
Director Statement:
Adágio is the product of an exploration into the life of a character less often seen in cinema, a woman who isn't a wife, mother, or a caretaker. A woman that exists outside the canon of sex appeal or lust. As a filmmaker, my interest in female driven narratives is what inspires me most and ultimately led me to tell the story of a woman whose passion and personal identity challenge the status quo. French New Wave, Cinema Vérité, and the work of Chantal Akerman were all influences in both the aesthetic and thematic elements of my film. As a director, I hope to explore the complexities of womanhood and challenge the representation of the woman in modern cinema, particularly the archetype of female characters as ingenues or secondary to their male counterparts. What is the role of a woman when it isn't linked to domesticity? Akerman’s characters commonly exist in the domestic setting. Her stage is the kitchen and the bedroom. My intention is to explore the woman out in the world, unbound from the walls of a home. It was an exciting process to examine this character, whose self criticism within her profession and personal life work to uncover the burden of expectation forged by society. Hopefully, audiences are not only able to relate to Sylvia, but can see the beauty intertwined in the challenges she faces.
Running Time: 11 minutes
Drama
Drama
Saturday, Sept 7th 4:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
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Johanna is from Northern Minnesota, where she completed her undergraduate degree in theatre with minors in film studies and philosophy. This is also where she got her start in the film industry working on micro-budget feature films. Nicknamed the Zenith City, Johanna's hometown was the inspiration behind her independent production company Zenith Film Company. She is currently based out of Chicago, IL where she attends DePaul University as an MFA Film and Television Directing candidate.
Johanna's previous directing work includes five short films. Her project 'Unshakeable' was selected for the University of Minnesota Duluth's art and design showcase where it won the CLA Merit and the William G. Boyce / Friends of Tweed awards. In addition to writing and directing, she has worked in various roles on a number of short films, commercial projects, and feature length films.
Director Statement:
Adágio is the product of an exploration into the life of a character less often seen in cinema, a woman who isn't a wife, mother, or a caretaker. A woman that exists outside the canon of sex appeal or lust. As a filmmaker, my interest in female driven narratives is what inspires me most and ultimately led me to tell the story of a woman whose passion and personal identity challenge the status quo. French New Wave, Cinema Vérité, and the work of Chantal Akerman were all influences in both the aesthetic and thematic elements of my film. As a director, I hope to explore the complexities of womanhood and challenge the representation of the woman in modern cinema, particularly the archetype of female characters as ingenues or secondary to their male counterparts. What is the role of a woman when it isn't linked to domesticity? Akerman’s characters commonly exist in the domestic setting. Her stage is the kitchen and the bedroom. My intention is to explore the woman out in the world, unbound from the walls of a home. It was an exciting process to examine this character, whose self criticism within her profession and personal life work to uncover the burden of expectation forged by society. Hopefully, audiences are not only able to relate to Sylvia, but can see the beauty intertwined in the challenges she faces.
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