Circle of Signs is a piece about the wildfires rampaging through California, but so much more. It is about climate grief, the hopeless situation capitalism and colonialism has left the planet and youth to take on, and so for this video, I decided to collaborate with a teenager on the entire creative trajectory. It was a tremendous learning experience. Seraphia Behr is 15 and stars in the film, she is a first time actor, and we created the ideas and images together. In this piece, I somehow felt how the suppression of natural burning forests equated to the suppression of the voices of the youth. Somehow, Seraphia is California embodied, struggling with and ultimately reclaiming her wildness, her beauty, her insecurities, her vision for her future, and the lineage of women she comes from. I learned a lot. It was an honor to make this piece for Mariee, and I also got to bring together many amazing female artists whose work is featured in this piece. - Director’s statement
CREDITS:
Music
Mariee Siou
Director
Samantha Shay
Created in collaboration with
Seraphia Behr
A Source Material Production
Producer
Arabella Morgan & Samantha Shay
Performed by
Seraphia Behr
Director of Photography
Victoria Sendra
Assistant Director
Cinthia Konopacki
Voiceover
Seraphia Behr & Samantha Shay
Editor
Samantha Shay
Colorist
Silvia Grav
Costume Design
Fien Lute
Featured Visual Artists
Júlíanna Ósk Hafberg & Freyja Eilíf
Gaffer
Erla Margrét Gunnarsdóttir
Sound Recording on set
Josh Wilkinson
Hair & Make-up
Kolbrún Anna Vignisdóttir
Catering
Arabella Morgan
Set Photography
Sunna Ben
Graphic Design
FISK Projects
Film Equipment
Victoria Sendra & KUKL Iceland
Film Locations
Íslenski Reiðskólinn, Listaháskóli Íslands, Hvammsvik Hot Springs Sponsored by Baka Baka, Brauð & co., Hvammsvik Hot Springs, Kryddhúsið, SIGMA, SIGMA, & Nebraska Reykjavik.
SCREENINGS & FESTIVALS:
Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival
November 8th, 2023, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Prague Music Video Awards
November 10th, Prague, CR
* Award: Best Lyric Video
Oska Bright Film Festival
March 11th, 2024, Brighton, UK