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I Close My Eyes to See

Renata is a promising young artist with the prospect of an illustrious career ahead of her. Reserved and introspective, she is dedicated to perfecting and pursuing her art, much to the amusement, and annoyance, of her outgoing best friend Safiya. Despite her dedication and ambition, Renata is frequently plagued by fear, a fact which has not gone unnoticed by her anxious and overbearing mother.

When Renata is diagnosed with a lifelong illness that could change the course of her life, her dreams of greatness plummet as she struggles to come to terms with her new normal.

  • Roxie Oliveira
    Director
  • Roxie Oliveira
    Writer
  • Zina Win-Lemmers
    Producer
  • Ana Beatriz Camelo
    Key Cast
    "Renata Conde"
  • Luisa Guerreiro
    Key Cast
    "Helena Conde"
  • Keiddy Cruz
    Key Cast
    "Safiya Ortiz"
  • Giada Sponzilli
    Director of Photography
    Flicker
  • Alice Mills
    Composer
  • Damian Pace
    Sound Designer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 16, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.90:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Surrey
Director Biography - Roxie Oliveira

Roxie Oliveira is an upcoming director/writer/content creator and recent graduate from the University of Surrey. With a degree in Digital Media Arts, she has spent the past four years working in many areas, including directing, scriptwriting, animation, and VFX while also working as a Production Assistant for a videography company in Guildford.

Two years ago, after being diagnosed with a life-changing condition that may affect her eyesight, Roxie was left to decide how her career in Film would be impacted.

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Director Statement

‘l Close My Eyes to See’ is a semi-autobiographical film of a young artist whose dreams of greatness plummet when she discovers that she may go blind. With this project, Roxie hopes to shed light on living with a chronic illness and the trauma that one bears when hit with an unforeseen diagnosis.

With an all women cast, women led crew, and Portuguese actresses for Renata and Helena, ‘I Close My Eyes to See’ is a film dealing with chronic illness, but not about illness itself. Rather, it thrives in the creation of representation and the notion of overcoming one’s own barriers. How could a blind artist paint? And what is sight, really? What if the essence of one’s passion, is not its actual essence?

Lights switching on and off, shots drifting from one location to another, blurry vision and ripped up papers, the cinematography, music and sound design echoes the protagonist’s interiority. Cold blue to warm oak, it’s the wrestle between hope and hoping for hope showcased by the colour grading.

Made during a pandemic, ‘I Close My Eyes to See’ is a film about, and made out of, hope.