Private Project

tectum argenti

A moving meditation on the process of therapeutic healing through reconnecting with the self in nature: shot, home-processed and hand-edited on silver-rich 16mm Fomapan reversal film.

Internal and external landscapes intertwine in an assemblage of fractured but interconnected poetic gestures, multiple exposures, textural images, and abstract marks made onto the surface of the film. Hand-dyed with turmeric, washed in tea, wine and blackberry juice, tumbledried, painted, cut into, scratched and spliced, dust and hair cling to the skin of the celluloid.

"Tectum argenti" is the alchemists' ancient name for bismuth (Bi in the periodic table), meaning literally, 'silver being made'. In this film I wanted to evoke my difficult (but at times euphoric) personal journey of coming out and healing from the past.

  • Joanna Byrne
    Director
  • Joanna Byrne
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 17, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    16mm
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Loose Screw Film Festival
    Wakefield
    United Kingdom
    November 30, 2022
    United Kingdom Premiere
    Commissioned for Loose Screw Film Festival
  • Braziers International Film Festival
    Braziers Park
    United Kingdom
    September 1, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Crossroads 2023
    San Francisco
    United States
    September 9, 2023
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection - Programme 4 - Light Slants in the Wrong Direction
  • SeaChange Festival
    Isle of Tiree
    United Kingdom
    September 22, 2023
  • 25 FPS Festival
    Zagreb
    Croatia
    November 18, 2023
    International Competition: The Power of Goodbye
  • Strangloscope
    Itajai
    Brazil
    October 12, 2023
    South American premiere
    Official Selection
  • Kinoskop
    Belgrade
    Serbia
    November 19, 2023
    Official selection
  • New Year, New Work @ New York Filmmakers Cooperative
    New York
    United States
    April 25, 2024
Director Biography - Joanna Byrne


Joanna Byrne is a UK-based artist-filmmaker who takes material, collaborative and sustainable approaches to making moving image. In her socially-engaged practice she uses filmmaking as a tool to connect with individuals and communities by sharing experiences and co-creating stories. Byrne works with analogue film in a tactile way using alternative photographic processes, creating work for cinema, gallery and non-traditional contexts. In 2025 she was commissioned by Yorkshire Contemporary to produce an audio-visual installation for Bradford UK City of Culture, which explored the rewilding of a local urban waste ground over the course of a year. Her work has been screened internationally at film festivals such as Flatpack (UK), CROSSROADS (US), 25FPS (Croatia) and Analogica (Italy).

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