Entropy

More than anything I have made before, ‘Entropy’ is a living organism, which perfectly reflects the tradition in which it’s told. I wanted to stay true to my heritage in telling a story from a Greenlandic perspective inspired by folklore of past days while making a film that was relevant to a westernized audience as well. A marriage of modern cinema and traditional inuit storytelling.

During a discussion with musician/composer Frederik K. Elsner about an upcoming music video - that accidentally also dealt with climate change and Inuit folklore - the idea of him coming aboard a project that eventually turned out to be the short film ‘Entropy’ was born. A departure for both of us, as Frederik had never composed music for a film, and for me as I wanted this to be a collaboration of mutual inspiration all through the process; the basic idea laid the ground for us working in tandem, which in turn would inspire the music, which inspired the development of the story, which went on to form the foundation for the look of the film - the images (wide lenses, whites, contrasts). Everything connected at all levels.

Inuit storytelling - an oral tradition as it was the colonizers who brought the written language to Greenland - has always been circular in structure as opposed to linear. It has always involved the listeners and is often addressed directly to the audience. There are often no clear protagonists - no heroes, no villains - but is focussed on community as it is the community and not a single character that develops through the story. In ‘Entropy’ the arc of the story belongs to the audience as they are taken on a journey through the cultural and physical landscape of the people of the North and the audience is invited to take part in the community of the storytelling. A perfect metaphor for the current climate crisis that we all - colonizers and colonized - have to battle as a global, human collective.

As a global community.