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Z365" or "Festival all year round" is the new strategic point of the Festival in which converge investigation, accompaniment and development of new talents (Ikusmira Berriak, Nest); training and cinematic knowledge transfer (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, Zinemaldia + Plus, Filmmakers' dialogue); and investigation, disclosure and cinematic thought (Z70 project, Thought and Discussion and Research and publications).
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Today, the North American filmmaker Tamyka Smith unveiled the installation to complete the audiovisual piece Gwendolyn Green at Tabakalera-International Centre for Contemporary Culture. The film will have its world premiere as part of the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section at the 65th edition of the San Sebastian Festival.
Zabaltegi-Tabakalera, the San Sebastian Festival’s most open competitive section, where there are neither rules nor limitations of style or time, also draws on experiences which extend beyond the screen. Last year, Tabakalera hosted 327 cuadernos (327 Notebooks), an installation by Andrés di Tella about Ricardo Piglia’s notebooks. A film that was also an installation: expanded cinema.
“Gwendolyn Green is an elderly, widowed woman living out her days alone, inside a gated Palm Springs residence, as if she were stuck in another era. But when the feeling of isolation starts to close in on her, she picks up the telephone and dials 911 in search of human connection”, explains the filmmaker, a resident at the first edition of the programme for the development of audiovisual projects, Ikusmira Berriak.
The installation is a replica of Gwendolyn’s kitchen, where most of the film takes place. The audience will recognise the wallpaper and the different objects appearing in the film, as if the installation were a mirror of the screen. “This way, Gwendolyn’s feeling of isolation, claustrophobia and loneliness will also be experienced by the public”, said Smith.
The installation is interactive: the kitchen drawers contain the cutlery used by Gwendolyn; the hand-written notes on the wall give us clues to her everyday life, and if the visitor lifts the phone, it’s Gwendolyn herself who’ll answer. According to the artist, “the experience is also accompanied by changes in the light depending on the time of day. The early evening, when the light is weaker and the day is coming to an end, will transport you straight into the film.”
The installation can be visited at Tabakalera until October 29.
BIOGRAPHY
Tamyka Smith (New York, 1983) is a mother, filmmaker and co-founder of Daughters Projects, a small production company which fosters films helmed by women. Her short film, Hes the Best (2015), premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and was screened at multiple international festivals. Gwendolyn Green is her second work as a director.
SINOPSIS AND INSTALLATION
Inspired by true events, this is the story of Gwendolyn Green, an elderly, widowed woman living out her days alone, inside a gated Palm Springs residence, as if she were stuck in another era. As Gwendolyn's lack of social graces and isolation start to close in on her, she picks up the telephone and dials 911 in search of human connection. Gwendolyn creates a special bond with the responding officer, finding in him the care and connection to the modern world she craves.
Gwendolyn Green will also be presented as an immersive installation experience on the 2nd floor of the Tabakalera building. Here visitors can watch the film within a replica of Gwendolyn’s kitchen where much of the film’s action takes place. Viewers will be able to open kitchen drawers revealing a life of worn cutlery, pickup the telephone to hear Gwendolyn’s voice, and see Gwendolyn’s hand written notes providing clues of her private life.
Installation in Tabakalera:
Tabakalera, 2nd floor
21 SEPT - 29 OCT
10:00-22:00
https://www.tabakalera.eu/en/gwendolyn-green-installation-tamyka-smith
Monday to Thursday: 09:00h - 15:00h
Friday: 10:00h - 14:00h