Leave Your Body
Shot within the constraints of Melbourne’s ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns, ‘Leave Your Body’ features the apartment where the filmmaker spent the better part of 2020 and 2021. However, where she sees a prison, her partner Sean sees a sanctuary. To him these five rooms are a fortress, not only protecting them from the virus, but also from the social pressure to interact with strangers. Portraying a fictitious version of himself (as well as the film’s various intruders) he defends his solitude while quietly losing touch with reality. ‘Leave Your Body’ is a celebration of isolation, but also an acknowledgement that the longer confinement continues; the harder it is to rejoin society.
-
Natasha CantwellDirector
-
Sean MolloyKey Cast
-
Reilly SmethurstComposer
-
Project Type:Experimental, Short
-
Runtime:4 minutes 6 seconds
-
Completion Date:January 2, 2021
-
Country of Origin:New Zealand
-
Country of Filming:Australia
-
Language:English, No Dialogue
-
Shooting Format:16mm
-
Aspect Ratio:16:9
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:No
-
Student Project:No
-
Experimental SuperstarsNovi Sad
Serbia
November 9, 2023 -
Sankt Studio: ShhhhhBerlin
Germany
November 4, 2023 -
Galleria Rajatila: VideokoppiTampere
Finland
July 22, 2023 -
Cuerpo TransparenteBuenos Aires
Argentina
June 23, 2023 -
Video Art MidenThessaloniki
Greece
June 3, 2023 -
Woodland Pattern Poetry MarathonMilwaukee, WI
United States
January 29, 2023 -
Les Instants VidéoMarseille
France
November 12, 2022 -
Ibrida FestivalForlì
Italy
September 16, 2022 -
Garofano Rosso Film FestivalForme
Italy
September 5, 2022 -
Gallery Kyy: ELO(KUVA)KUUTampere
Finland
August 6, 2022 -
Mientras Tanto CINEMaldonado
Uruguay
June 24, 2022 -
Experiments in CinemaAlbuquerque, NM
United States
May 9, 2022 -
aCinema: GeopersistenceMilwaukee, WI
United States
May 1, 2022 -
Moinho Cine FestCustóias
Portugal
April 14, 2022 -
Diametrale Film FestivalInnsbruck
Austria
April 2, 2022 -
Brunswick Underground Film FestivalMelbourne
Australia
April 2, 2022 -
Silence is GoldenBelgrade
Serbia
November 17, 2021 -
Blue Heeler Film FestivalMuswellbrook
Australia
October 30, 2021 -
The Nomadic Contemporary: NoCA CinemaNew York, NY
United States
October 17, 2021 -
Simultan FestivalTimișoara
Romania
September 11, 2021 -
Pugnant Film SeriesAthens
Greece
September 3, 2021 -
Malarkey Film FestivalNew York, NY
United States
July 26, 2021 -
Od Arts FestivalWest Coker
United Kingdom
May 28, 2021 -
Eye's Walk Digital FestivalSyros and Corfu Islands
Greece
April 1, 2021 -
Beeler Gallery: NovemberColumbus, OH
United States
January 19, 2021
Spanning music video, fashion photography and art projects, Natasha Cantwell’s work openly embraces awkwardness while drawing from the absurdity of human behaviour. Her 16mm experimental films have screened at festivals and exhibitions worldwide, including Experiments In Cinema in the U.S. and the European Media Art Festival and Stuttgart Filmwinter Festival For Expanded Media in Germany.
Holding a Bachelor of Graphic Design and a Postgraduate Diploma in Art and Design from the Auckland University of Technology, Cantwell has guest lectured at Unitec and the Manukau Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. She has also presented at Semi Permanent Design Conference in Sydney, Australia as the senior photographer for Frankie Magazine.
Alongside her art practice, she produces and curates for festivals and galleries, including the Auckland Underground Film Festival, Channels: The Australian Video Art Festival and the Victorian Archives Centre Gallery. She is currently based in Melbourne, Australia.