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Vanilla Underground: REDUX

Experimental Short film

2023 - 2’30” | 16mm | B&W + Color | Sound

Shot in United Kingdom (2021) / Post-production in Spain (2023)

*Work available under request: pedroborbamendes@gmail.com

Logline:

 

A sexually repressed man struggles with the pleasure and the pain he experiences.

 

Synopsys:

 

An experimental narrative that combines queer-coded archival footage from vintage ads and documentaries from 1940-1950s with shots from an unreleased 16mm film project to explore the psyche of a man at odds with his identity.

 

Statement:

 

This project is an example of my practice of repurposing archival footage into new narrative and/or visual pieces. As the ´REDUX' in its title suggests, the project is a revisitation of a 16mm material - originally shot in 2021 - in which I recognized a compelling opportunity to reinterpret those visuals and the protagonist's journey, delving into the intricate interplay between memory and subjective experiences. Essentially, I aimed to investigate the profound connection between memory, body, and emotions. 

​

This concept materialized through a blend of the original film footage and vintage archival clips, resulting in a collage of imagery that evokes free association. In this narrative framework, the archival footage, sourced from educational and journalistic sources dating back to the 1950s and 1960s, serves as a window into the protagonist's subconscious. It offers glimpses into his reflections on masculinity, religion, and, most significantly, queerness.

 

Queerness is portrayed as a timeless experience, continually shaped by decades of homoerotic imagery prevalent in our cultural landscape, which in turn, inform the protagonist's production of meaning and influence his behavior throughout the narrative.

Vanilla_NOCREDITS.png
story
screenplay                                 
cast                                              
director
assistant director                                       
producer 
production designer                                         cinematography                  

1st assistant camera 

2nd assistant camera

gaffer

sound mixer

composer

covid supervisor

make-up & hair

editor                                       
colorist       
                           

graphic designer

Amand Gatti, Pedro Mendes
Pedro Mendes    
Benedict Esdale, David Torozoff        
Pedro Mendes                                       
Zhiru Xie                              
Zhiru Xie             

Pierluigi Campa
Doddi El-Gabry          

Oliver Staton

Weiheng Chen

Pierluigi Campa

Edouard Keller

Nacho Mañámesas

Tom Rowe

Liine Kiintok

Pedro  Mendes
Pedro Mendes                                 

Tiago Gasperin

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