One-on-one with Madeiran filmmaker and photographer Nuno Serrão

Nuno Serrão is a Portuguese photographer and director, born on Madeira Island, who is interested in the dialogues between science and contemporary art. Each of his images considers how information is handled, shared and perceived, framing scenarios as micro-narratives, demonstrating a sensitivity and a curiosity for the planet and its inhabitants.

iFilmFestival: Tell us a bit about your most important film so far.

NS: “The most important was We Are All On The Same Bus, as it was the one where I could express my artistic vision without being bounded by a formal narrative format.”

We Are All On The Same Bus (2019)

iFilmFestival: What were the key challenges making it?

NS: “As you can imagine, shooting a film on a moving bus isn't the most straightforward job in the world. More so if you only have that bus for a few hours and cannot control the exterior light. The first hour was my trying to figure out how to solve the light issue, as the movie was shot during the day. The solution was to film in a tunnel in between two roundabouts. That way, I could reduce the amount of daylight coming from the outside, control the light within the bus and achieve a moodier look.”

iFilmFestival: What’s one aspect that you’re particularly proud of?

NS: “The fact that will its an experimental non-dialogue film, but it still has a solid non-linear narrative.”

iFilmFestival: How did you get involved in filmmaking?

NS: “Filmmaking has been the materialisation of my love of storytelling, something I have enjoyed since I was a kid. Few things made me happier, wandering in imaginary worlds and stories.”

iFilmFestival: What new projects are you working on or are you hoping to work on in the future?

NS: “Currently I am working on another experimental project and a documentary.”

Nuno Serrão

iFilmFestival: What role do film festivals play?

NS: “Films should be enjoyed within a cinema with other cinema lovers, and festivals are the only way to achieve this when you are a young filmmaker. The sense of communion you get from a hundred unconnected humans, bounded only by the emotions they see on screen, is unrivalled.”

iFilmFestival: What is your advice to filmmakers tackling the festival circuit?

NS: “Submit and dont worry about the rest.”

iFilmFestival: How do you see the future of film?

NS: “With the advent of AI, films are bound to become more personal than ever. What we see now with generative AI is the precursor to the Hollow Deck from Star Trek.”

iFilmFestival: Which filmmaker do you admire and why?

NS: “Kubrick for the execution, Kurosawa for the minimalism, Bergman for the emotion and so many others this list could go on forever.”

iFilmFestival: What film have you recently seen that you have admired in one way or another?

NS: “It's not that recent, but Under The Skin is the most underrated movie in the last decade.”

iFilmFestival: Thank you Nuno for answering our questions!

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Interview by iFilmFestival on 28/03/2023.