The projection of  my short film “Saudade” took place on May 20th, and most of the attendees were filmmakers from the Short Film Corner, or producers. People appreciated the movie a lot, and gave me very positive feedback at the end of the projection. They were touched by a lot of scenes, found the movie very poetic and subtle, and the message was conveyed adequately. As a filmmaker this was the most important thing for me, and I was really overwhelmed to hear that. It was by far the most amazing experience I have ever had, especially that it was my first projection.

I decided to shoot the movie “Saudade” after my uncle’s death, because my emotions of anger and melancholy were at their paroxysm then, and I thought it would be sort of a catharsis to calm myself down. It indeed worked, and I feel more at peace now. Some of the actors in the cast have also been affected by cancer, having witnessed a relative or friend suffering from it. I thought they would be ideal for the roles since her performance would be genuine and would perhaps serve as a catharsis for her as well. They indeed had a very poignant and truthful performance, and everything felt so real.

So overall making this movie was not an easy journey. The scriptwriting was actually easier than the directing. All of this touched me a lot, and I think a lot of patients living with cancer and / or their relatives could relate to the movie’s emotive content.