Est. Reading Time: 3 Minutes

MARK (M) Tell us a little about yourself - when did you become interested in film and filmmaking?

REMEDIOS (R) Cinema has always been a language that inspired me to tell stories, especially documentaries.

On The Port of Huelva

M Please tell us a little about how you got the opportunity to access and film the Port of Huelva?

R I’m from Huelva. The port is a very unknown space for the city so after many conversations I got access to portray this port.

M I really like the film’s visual aesthetic - it contains so many poetic and even surreal images like the mountain of dirt and the black plastic sheet/tarp blowing in the wind. How much time did you spend filming the landscape and importantly, how did it influence your approach to creating the film's visual language?

R I tried to let myself be carried away by the poetry of the images, their own sound, their own light. I tried not to influence the construction of this portrait, but let myself be carried away. Puerto is a 24-hour portrait made over three weeks.

M I love the film’s opening sequence, I think it’s so effective in capturing and establishing the port’s distinctiveness. Please tell us a little about how the opening sequence establishes the mood and tone of your film through composition, pacing and stillness.  

R I tried to be a spectator of this space and create visual poetry with what surprised me the most. The rhythm was given to me by the landscape itself. I needed a long time image and I chose this one because it seemed to me the most visual. There were many more images, but it seemed important to start with water.

M Please tell us a little about your experience interviewing and meeting the workers at the Port of Huelva. I know this might be a pretty broad question but how did your time with the workers affect your perception of the port?  

R The jobs are difficult and different from the known ones. I was also interested in the role of women in such a masculine sector which is why I included all the women who worked in this sector.

On Inspiration

M What are some of the films and who are some of the filmmakers that inspire you, and why?

R I am interested in independent cinema in which each film is a work which tells stories that matter, especially in documentaries. One of the films that inspired me to make this short film is Dead Slow Ahead (2015) by Mauro Herce.

On The Future

M What are you planning to make next?

R There are always stories worth telling. We're on that.

Mark’s Final Thoughts

• Great to screen this film soon after featuring Load Cycle on our platform - both films portray cargo ports in very different ways but are nonetheless compelling and interesting. Load Cycle is cut very quickly to create an immersive and overwhelming experience for viewers. In contrast, the slow pacing in Puerto invites viewers to reflect upon the images and landscape. I’m really interested in slow pacing because of its unique ability to create a transcendental atmosphere on screen. Sometimes, when you hold on a certain shot for a long period of time, it can allow the shot to take on meaning and significance that is beyond its current moment and situation.

  Tags Cinematography Documentary Experimental Landscape Live-action
  

The founder of Hommage, Mark Shaba published this interview on 12.04.2022. Mark is a filmmaker from Victoria, Australia. He respectfully acknowledges the past and present traditional owners of the land on which he creates, promotes and screens art, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation who are the custodians.