SPIRITS AND ROCKS: AN AZOREAN MYTH – ESPIRITOS E ROCHAS: UM MITO AÇORIANO
Aylin Gökmen | Switzerland, Portugal 2020 | 14 Min.| OmeU
Before the 15th Century, sailors did not dare to venture into the Azores as they suspected the end of the world would be there. Fire and lava, which are still spewing from the volcanoes on the islands of Faial and Pico, together with highly unusual weather phenomena, seemed far too threatening. Today, people live on the islands, and the few inhabitants have come to terms with their volcanoes. After all, the glowing lava is more than just dangerous; it also increases the land’s fertility, thus favoring agriculture.
SPIRITS AND ROCKS: AN AZOREAN MYTH takes the ethereal island atmosphere and transforms it into a narrative about the entanglement of humans and nature.
Director and Editor: Aylin Gökmen
Cinematographer: Marianna Vas
Sound: Etienne Curchod, João Alves
Producer: Aylin Gökmen – A Vol d’Oiseau, Victor Candeias – DocNomads
Music: Thomas Geissl
Screenings
Festival International du Film d’AubagneMay 2021: Short Documentary Competition
Go Short – International Short Film Festival 2021: Student Competition
Vilnius International Film Festival “Kino Pavasaris” 2021: Short Competition
Akbank Short Film Festival 2021: International Competition
Sundance Film Festival 2021: Documentary Shorts Program (International Premiere)
Solothurner Filmtage 2021: Upcoming Talents Competition
Locarno Film Festival2020: Pardi di DomaniCompetition (World Premiere)
Biography
Aylin Gökmen is a Swiss-Turkish filmmaker who earned a B.A. in Arts from the University of Lausanne and an M.A. in documentary filmmaking from the DocNomads Erasmus Mundus program. Combining a documentary and experimental approach, her works revolve around themes of memory, imagination and landscape. In 2020, she co-founded A Vol d’Oiseau, a production structure dedicated to the development of various Swiss and international projects.
