Experimental Short Film | COLOR | Sound | 6′ | 2022
This short is part of a film series created by the queer performer Emiliano Zapata and directed by Paulo Mendel.
SYNOPSIS
“Hygieia” is an abstract healing process that takes place in the unconscious mind of the deity. Inspired by an ancient incubation treatment, known as Enkoimeses, the sci-fi queer film portrays Hygieia, Goddess of Health and Hygiene, and daughter of Asclepius, God of Healing, experiencing a powerful awakening. Enveloped in a space-capsule-cocoon, Emilianno Zapata’s performance as the mythological Hygieia evokes different physical, mental, and spiritual states, until the Goddess is healed, sheds her own skin, and is reborn. Referencing the snake as a symbol of rebirth, immortality, and healing, and the dual nature of its venom, the visual journey transitions from a state of disturbance to an enlightening experience. Paulo Mendel’s hypnotic and dream-like aesthetic, emerges from these spiritual and symbolic entanglements, and expands an untouchable body into the infinite universe.
2022
- “Arte, Audiovisual e NFT” exhibition | MIS – Museu da Imagem e do Som | Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Darkroom Festival | IKLECTIK | London, England
- Buenos Aires International Film Festival | Buenos Aires, Argentina
- “Futur/e/s Queer Utopia” program | Image+Nation Festival Film LGBTQUEER Montreal | Montreal, Canada
2023
- Buenos Aires Indie Shorts Awards | Buenos Aires, Argentina
