FILM
Santiago O´Ryan
26th Raindance Film Festival 2018
‘WALDO'S DREAM’
UK PREMIERE | CHILE, 8 min | Tickets
WALDO’S DREAM tells the story of Waldo Joy, a man who is tormented by the birth malformation of his only son. He tries to leave his grief behind by constructing a huge amusement park named Happyland, trying to shape it into a personal utopia of order and beauty.
Hey Santiago, thanks for talking to TNC, how is everything going?
Very good! This year has been amazing for our Animation studio "MONDAYS", we have toured all over the world with our original projects, and we have been in important animation festivals like Annecy (France), Hiroshima (Japan), AnimaMundi (Brazil) and now in Raindance!
As this is you UK Premiere are there any nerves ahead of the screening?
Excited more than nervous, we would like to see the reaction of the audience, what they think and what they thought of the short film. You have to tell us! We like that people in the UK see the great work we are doing in Latin America.
So go and see the short film, and if you like write to us at contacto@lunescinetv.com, to congratulate us, if you do not like to write to us to insult us.
What does it mean to be screening Waldo's Dream at Raindance 2018?
This type of short films, such as Waldo's Dream, do not frequently enter the billboards or "massive" media. Festivals like Raindance open the door to this kind of eccentric content and stories and give it visibility. It is a source of pride for us that the people of the UK see our short film premiered at a festival like Raindance.
Tell me a little bit about Waldo's Dream, how did the film come about?
Waldo's Dream is a satire on the life and work of Walt Disney, in which we see another facet of the historical character and from a more controversial and less naive point of view.
The idea was born about 5 years ago, in a bar (like all good ideas), thinking about our animated film "Homeless" (which opens in 2019), we needed a villain who escaped the classic rules of "bad guy" of the movie. There we came up with the iconic figure of Walt, and what really "hides behind" that empire of happiness called Disney. It is a fairytale in reverse and tells how happiness is such a chimera that it becomes an abstract and meaningless need. We believe that the best way to be unhappy is to be in constant pursuit of happiness.
What was the inspiration behind your screenplay that interested you as a filmmaker?
Being able to sleep at night, and not be tormented by those ideas you never did.
How important is collaboration on a project like this?
In Latin American countries, collaboration is vital for a project to take force and be carried out. Creativity is there, but what is lacking are the creative industries, and that our politicians and businessmen not only worry about continuing to sell our natural resources to developed countries but that they are interested in our creative resources.
We love to collaborate with South American talent, it is as if all the Latin American players that play in the European leagues, will play in our in our local leagues, and instead of watching the Champions, you would be watching the Copa Libertadores (laughs), that is what we want to achieve.
In the specific case of "Waldo's Dream" we collaborated with very talented people from Colombia (Venturia) and for the movie "Homeless" we team up with our friends from Peru (Apus).
What was the most challenging part of making this film?
It is always difficult to finish an animated project, and never is that voice that tells you:
"Better not do it, you can sue them", but what better incentive than that!
Our motto as a producer has always been: "if we do not have anything, we have nothing to lose".
Have you always had a passion for filmmaking?
I think all LUNES partners would have preferred to be footballers, but cinema is an excellent option B.
Personally, I remember watching a strange movie called The Phantom Tollbooth that still gives me nightmares and I can not get it out of my head (masterpiece!). I think that there are nowadays movies of this type that do not give so many answers to people or happy endings to children, but that they are traumatized, like the stories of Hans Christian Andersen, (laughs).
"These Chileans are doing good things, we should give them money!"
How much has your style and the approach to your filmmaking changed since your debut?
Totally different from how we started, less cerebral. Now if we think about something, we do it, we no longer question why or how, even if it seems that the idea does not make sense.
How would you describe Waldo's Dream in three words?
Walt Disney Company.
Do you have any advice or tips for any fellow filmmaker?
Never listen to the advice of another filmmaker.
Out of jokes, that dare with the animation or formats other than live action. The animation is not a genre, it is a way of telling a story.
And finally, what do you hope people will take away from this film?
I want to have a beer after seeing it and say:
These Chileans are doing good things, we should give them money!