Films | In Development & production
/The Book of Colours | short form documentary | in production
/This is Not a Drone Movie | documentary essay | in production
/The Last Cruise | documentay feature | in development
/The Dream Conference, documentary | in development
THE BOOK OF COLOURS
short form documentary | in production
Brazil
complete dossier (password available on request)
concept & direction | rachel daisy ellis
producers | rachel daisy ellis & camile reis
researchers | victoria álvares
SYNOPSIS
The Book of Colours is a participant-observation documentary that explores the impact of an evanglisation course for children that uses The Book Without Words to teach them the story of Jesus and the path of salvation; Yellow, Black, Red, White and Green; the five colours of the book without words. The children recount the story that they have learnt and the filmmaker invites her 10 year old daughter to join her to interview the children and ask them questions about their relationships with colours, including questions related to the philosophy of colour, a subset of the philosphy of perception, particularly exploring the idea of Qualia – the subjective feeling that you have on the inside when you see a colour. The children also explore what it means to evangelise another child. The film started by providing an insight into one of the ways that evangelsim is being propagated and opens out into a reflection on the philiosphical insights of children and their capacity to deeply understand the world and each other. The involvement of the filmmaker´s own daughter provides a bridge, whilst also reflecting on the ethical challenges of making documentaries involving children, especially where world views are being questioned.
With support from FUNCULTURA - Pernambuco state culture fund
DRONE
documentary essay | in production
Brazil
complete dossier (password available on request)
concept & direction | rachel daisy ellis
producers | rachel daisy ellis & camile reis
researchers | victoria álvares
SYNOPSIS
A filmmaker is struck by the unexpected intimacy of drone images shot by a friend on holiday with her new boyfriend, provoking her to explore how images that are nomally distant and cold could be reimagined as extremely intimate reflections of our secret inner worlds. The film explores four different meanings of Drone, as defined in the Merriam-Weber dictionary, a) the honey bee that has the sole aim of mating with the queen, b) an unmanned aerial craft often used for mapping and tracing (and bombing) c) a sustained deep murmuring hummng or buzzing sound d) a routine that is dull and boring. The drone images are interpreted and reinterpreted in different ways reflecting on the diverse meanings of drones in contemporary society through the images produced by drones themselves. A raw, intimate and critical visual essay that reflects on the contemporary search for love, belonging and physical and emotional secutiry on the backdrop of an increasingly unpredictable and violent world.
THE LAST CRUISE / THE PIONEERS
documentary feature | in development
Brazil, Portugal, USA
complete dossier (password available on request)
concept & direction | rachel daisy ellis
production companies | Desavia (BR), Olhar de Ulisses (PT)
producers | camile reis, andre guiomar,
researchers | Camilla Mouri
SYNOPSIS
After an unexpected encounter with the British consul in Recife, who revealed that one of his main responsibilities was to repatriate the bodies of elderly people who live across the Atlantic on cruise ships, I began investigating this surprising phenomenon. I discover that living on a cruise ship costs less than a nursing home and that this new way of life is becoming popular among some middle-class seniors. When I came across an advertisement for the inaugural voyage of the world's first residential cruise ship, focusing on "ordinary people," not the super-rich, I decided to spend some time on board, interviewing the elderly residents. The Pioneers is an observational-participatory film that takes as its starting point the stories of people who, at the end of their lives, decide to trade everything they've accumulated for a 3m2 cabin on the high seas. From an opera singer who sang with Palácios Domingos, to a former CIA agent with the onset of Alzheimer's, to a Nobel Prize winner; to an elderly truck driving couple who transported dangerous cargo between states in the US until well into their 70s. The accumulated experiences of the elderly people on board are extraordinary, fascinating, and fantastical, intertwined with a common desire to rid themselves of all worldly goods, to live in the present, and continue adventuring around the world. As we hear these extraordinary life stories, we will accompany how this group of people adapt to life on board, plotting daily adventures and overcoming the conflicts of daily life. Until one day, a story about the onboard morgue triggers an existential crisis among some of the passengers.
With the support of the Brasilian Federal Support Fund for FIlme (FSA)
THE DREAM CONFERENCE
documentary feature | in development
Brazil, USA
complete dossier (password available on request)
concept & direction | rachel daisy ellis
producers | camile reis, rachel daisy ellis
