This is the official website for the upcoming short film “When I was dead” (working title). When I was dead is an experimental animated short film that explores near death experiences through people’s own experiences. The aim is to collect stories in any language and from any culture and to combine them into a continuous, one shared story. The stories will be told by people with their own voices. The film doesn’t try to explain the phenomenon in a scientific way but instead the viewpoint will be purely artistic.
Record your story with a smart phone or other sound recording device - Don’t worry about the sound quality, we just want to hear your story! Describe your experience as detailed as possible, from start to finish. Describe the visuals and the emotions throughout the experience. Explain if the experience changed your perspective on life or not and if so, how? Share your story with your own language. Whoever shares her/his story, can stay anonymous or have his/her name in the end credits of the film.
Send mail to henna@silentpaprikafilms.com
The film will be about 10-minutes long and fully animated, using traditional animation techniques combined with computer animation. We won’t be using any of the stories as a whole and the story will be told through fragments of each recorded story that form one continuous story.
The film is going to be distributed as widely as possible. The main channels are film festivals around the world, possible tv and eventually internet and other distribution channels.
Our previous short film “We are in a Dream” has been shown at over 20 film festivals around the world, including Tampere Film Festival and Atlanta Film Festival and has won two prizes in Prague Independent Film Festival and Dada Shaheb Phalke Film Festival.
Contact us for any additional info, we are happy to tell more about the project.
DIRECTOR & PRODUCER / Henna Välkky
Henna Välkky has directed, shot and edited short films, music videos and commercials. She studied in three film schools, has worked as a freelancer and is a co-founder of a production company Silent Paprika Films and design agency Visual Kult. Her work has been screened in dozens of film festivals around the world and has millions of views in YouTube.
DIRECTOR / Eesu Lehtola
Eesu Lehtola is an awarded visual designer, illustrator and animator, that covers a variety of work from films to clothing design. His work has been viewed in multiple medias, such as magazines, television and art galleries. He is currently working through his own design agency and clothing brand.
PRODUCER / Ville Sivonen
Ville is a producer who really enjoys sharing ideas and implementing them together with other people. Ville has worked with projects and businesses in many different types and sizes during the years. He has produced for example short movies, documentaries, music videos and educational contents. Ville works also as an editor.