Awake

To be awake is to be alive, existing with no boundaries or expectations. In this audio-visual exploration of the desire to move, Ophelia awakens from a long and lonely stillness, slowly familiarising herself with unknown surroundings. As she navigates this uncharted territory, facing fears and judgement, she looks ahead into the future with optimism, letting go of her previous life.

  • Meara Withe
    Director
  • Alexia Newland
    Producer
  • Ioana Selaru
    Music
    Manifesto for Change, One Five Seven Years, Sideways, Adidas Y-3 SS22
  • Ophelia Guerin
    Dance & Choreography
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Screendance, Dance, Animation
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 16 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 13, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    300 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Meara Withe

Meara is an animator and graphic designer based between Brighton and London. Interested in tackling difficult subjects and often influenced by art history, Meara works with traditional frame-by-frame animation combined with contemporary techniques to tell meaningful stories with a thoughtful approach.

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Director Statement

Awake is a visual exploration of grief and how it can affect
us day to day, embodied through dance, animation and
movement. The film opens with a shot of dancer Ophelia,
hanging upside down, imitating the feeling of how your
world can be turned upside down in the wake of a loss. As the
film develops, movement gradually increases, expressing
how grief can ease with time, before being hit with another
wave of stillness and having to start the process all over
again. Eventually, at the end of the film, the dancer breaks
free and finds peace in her stillness.