Moments I Saw In Red

'Moments I Saw In Red' is an experimental short film that explores the relationship between trauma, synaesthesia, and art. Shot on 8mm film, the film follows the story of a person with PTSD and synaesthesia who is recounting their memories associated with the color red.

Synaesthesia is a rare neurological condition, whereby the senses get crossed and one might perceive things like colors or sounds while seeing or hearing other things. For the protagonist of 'Moments', their memories of crossing Calais, a school crush, and realising their trans identity all get "filed" under the colour red.

The film's unique use of 8mm film, original music, and a spoken word voiceover guides the audience through the protagonist's journey, as they meditate on their experiences and find a way to heal through artistic expression.

  • Penn Balint
    Director
  • Penn Balint
    Writer
  • Yana Larkhanidi
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Music Video
  • Runtime:
    2 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 7, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Super 8
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Penn Balint

Penn Bálint (they/he) is a Hungarian multidisciplinary artist settled in Devon. Penn founded The Yoko Situation, an art collective centering trans- and disabled narratives. 'Moments I Saw in Red' is their first film.

While a student at the University of Cambridge, Penn worked on thirty film and theatre productions. For stage, he directed 'No One Needs to Know' (2021) at The Howard Theatre, winner of The Marlowe Other Prize, 'Attrition' (2022) at the National Student Drama Festival, and 'Blue & Pip' (2022) for the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2022, ADC Theatre commissioned Penn's original play 'Moles’, and they completed an R&D residency at Exeter Phoenix, developing a new show 'Teddy Midnight.'

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Director Statement

'Moments I Saw In Red' is an extremely personal film to me. I thought a lot about my own experiences of emigrating to the UK and coming to terms with my identity as a trans person when writing.

A lot of the movement in the film is improvised, interspersed with symbolic shots that allude to the fractured nature of living with PTSD. Half spoken word- half rap, the soundtrack is meant to provide a hypnotic order to the pieces of memory - representing the wholeness of the person who holds them.

I hope that viewers of the film walk away with a sense of the beauty that can be created in spite of- and because of the neurodiverse mind's experience of trauma.