THE WEIGHT OF SILK
World Premiere November 21, 2024
Runtime: 17 minutes
featuring Noelani Pantastico​
direction & choreography Bruno Roque​
written by​ Noelani Pantastico​
videography Bruno Roque​
original music Fabian ReimAir
The Weight of Silk is an intimate and poignant expression of how defining moments of childhood create lasting echoes throughout our lives. Written and performed by dancer Noelani Pantastico, this very personal story of self-discovery is carefully crafted for the screen by filmmaker and choreographer Bruno Roque, with a moving score by Fabian ReimAir.
The Weight of Silk is based on Anamnesis, a dance created by Noelani Pantastico & Bruno Roque for On The Boards’ SOLO Festival (2018).
This film was supported in part by Pacific Northwest Ballet Dance Film Festival
FROM STAGE TO SCREEN
For SDC's final film project, Noelani and Bruno chose to revisit Anamnesis - a work they created together in 2018 for On The Boards' SOLO Festival, and restaged for SDC's debut a year later. The personal stories of Anamnesis provided fertile ground for cinematographic imagery and the film medium opened up new possibilities to dive deeper into the work. While most of the narrative remained intact, one key change was to incorporate a more hopeful ending.
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"Every iteration of this work has been a welcome opportunity to share and heal. Grief is never-ending, but with this film I wanted to flip the script, re-examine my stories and reframe them," - Noelani
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BEHIND THE SCENES
The Weight of Silk was shot over the course of 3 1/2 days in Folly Beach, South Carolina - selected for its approximation of the film's central location of Hawaii. Sunlit beaches, lush backyards and quiet interiors provided a rich backdrop to weave the film's emotional stories.
In addition to serving as choreographer, Bruno brought a multitude of talents to this project including directing, filming, lighting and editing. The inherent challenges of a tight shooting schedule and a skeleton team were tempered by the long history of collaboration that Bruno and Noelani share. Their ultimate trust in one another helped them navigate the intense and emotional production process and lead to the carefully crafted final product.
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"I was able to honor Noe’s stories and take care of her performance on screen like no one else," - Bruno