Impatient

Set in Caracas, 1974. Every day the dwellers of Caracas enjoy the music of the famous and enigmatic radio station Gran Radio Riviera, but, is a mystery that all ignores, that behind that radio is Ommi, a girl who is dedicated to living ASMR experiences, a type of specific sounds that have certain sensations in those who listen. Ommi triggers these experiences to feed part of the band's sound, in the basement of the house. Ommi's sensory experiences; and the band are the architects of this radio mystery called Gran Radio Riviera.

How did Impaciente first come together as a project?
I love music videos since I was a kid. I had a band in high school, and back there, I made my first music videos -a pretty documentary short of our first record- but I wanted to make my first music video - a good one- and I just contacted a band that I liked and told them to make a video. They liked the idea of collaborating and we started to brainstorm. The band just asked me to use two things: a big famous house designed by the Italian architecture Gio Ponti in the '70s, and a girl as protagonist.

Speaking of this 70’s house, the vintage look of 1974 Caracas in your film is wonderful. How did you approach making a music video with a retro aesthetic?
Shooting in Villa Planchart is really difficult because the entire house is an artwork. So I decided to make an idea that takes the essence of the house, the vibe of the 70s, the aesthetic of a country really different than the place where we live now. The idea of creating something that emulates that vibe was really attractive to me.

What inspired the “living ASMR experiences” that occur throughout the film?
I didn't know anything about ASMR until we came with the idea. I was in a masterclass with Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel, and she talked about ASMR and showed an image of a woman brushing her daughter's hair. That image and that idea of the sound was the starting point to develop the whole film: the girl, the house, the sounds, everything mixed perfectly.

We've been thrilled by the talent coming from South America this year. What is the film scene like in South America, and Venezuela in particular?
Venezuela is a country that has for many years suffered a dictatorship, and we have had many years struggling with many things happening on social, economic, and political levels. But cinema never stops. The last years have been the perfect boost for many young filmmakers that want to tell stories. It’s a scene that is growing, in the best way. Many young people migrated to other countries, but still want to tell stories about what is happening here, and that is great. That is important.

What was the biggest challenge in making this film?
Well, money. This is a really really low budget film. So we have to make magic with a $1500 budget, used in the best possible way in order to have everything that was required for the video that I was expecting. All the crew worked ad honorem, and we all put everything we have to make it look like a big budget music video.

Well you definitely succeeded with that, it’s looks incredible. What projects are coming for you in the future?
Well, this year I released two more music videos during the pandemic, with an incredible crew that trust in my ideas. I am developing two documentary projects that I want to shoot in México and in Venezuela. I hope to make many more music videos because I really like to create with them.

You can watch them here and here.

Finally Edwin, do you have any message for our Melbourne audience?
These festivals help to create a community around the world, helps people see different perspectives, and brings people together. That's the best thing about festivals, and I hope that you enjoy what we are doing on this side of the world.