UBI SUNT - Directed by Natalia Jezova

Project Type: Film

Project Title: ”UBI SUNT”

Brief Synopsis: UBI SUNT (literally “where are they”) is a rhetorical question taken from the Latin “Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt?” - "Where are those who were before us?" (Encyclopaedia Britannica/philosophy).

"One of life's certainties is death".

The film "UBI SUNT" is a reflection on absence, sense of loss, memories and unconscious processes. It pays homage to my mother, aiming to capture the essence of her remarkable personality.

"UBI SUNT" comprises a single long take, allowing viewers ample time for visual exploration and emotional immersion. The long take symbolising the continuity of time and memories. It invites viewers to immerse themselves in the scene and project their own feelings and interpretations.

I used a room devoid of people as a character. The light, wind and reflection played their roles. The combination and juxtaposition of black-and-white, where we see only an open window with the transparent curtain, bright rays coming through the dark space of the room, take on a metaphoric meaning. The wind, as a symbol of the transition of life, creates bizarre silhouettes.

Fragmented sounds in the "UBI SUNT" mirror the fragmented nature of memory processing, serving as an editing framework, which shapes the mental transitions between the sequences of the story. The soundtrack consists of various sounds related to memories of my mother, including snippets of music, radio speeches, ambient noise, and sounds from everyday life, guiding the audience through a sonic journey of remembrance and reflection. By employing associative montage, symbolic meanings and metaphors are created, transcending the film’s context and prompting emotional recognition and intellectual reflection in viewers.