Documentary
«AS LONG AS WE GO EAST»

A documentary about a skate journey in Europe. A four month artistic performance through nine countries.
A bridge between west cultures and east cultures.

About the Documentary

Through a journey across Europe, starting in Rennes, finishing in Saint-Petersburg, a team of young documentarists spontaneously and poetically engage with an experience of culture, languages and borders.

The camera follows Tao, a blooming artist travelling by the means of her skateboard. Along the way they make insightful encounters and live unique experiences, through a variety of colours, landscapes, creative initiatives and incredible mouvements coming to sight progressively within their journey. This summer tale is an individual challenge, taking place through the lives of different encounters bringing out a single poetic line, a movement.

Under the humble wheels of a skateboard hides a tribute to the old continent. Overall, questioning the individuality, the mass, and moreover, us, the European youth.

Director: MEHDI RONDELEUX
Camera: MARVIN KANAS, LUCAS PALEN
Narrator: OLIVER MAG
Music: BEDIS TIR
Performed by MAMA STONE & THE SWANG GANG

Premiere at Paris, May 2018
Official selection Surf & Skate Culture festival from Guidel, Septembre 2018
Official selection Paris Surf & Skate film festival, September 2018

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«Monologues about Dialogue»

Marvin and Lucas about the purpose of documentary films and their emotions after returning to Russia, where part of their project, presented at the Forum, had been filmed

We asked Marvin and Lucas several questions about their project:

— Have you ever been to Russia? What were your expectations before you visited this country?

Marvin: It is my 3rd time in Russia, and my second time in Saint Petersburg. I have always been inspired by Russian cinema. One of my favorite movie is «cranes are flying» from Mikhaïl Kalatozov. So I was really looking forward to visit Russia with my own eyes. I was especially impressed by the city architecture during my first trip.
Lucas: It's my first time in Russia. I'm really excited to discover a part of this gigantic country and its inhabitants.

We try to capture the reality of someone's life, in order for the director to create its own poetry out of it, especially with the editing. As documentary cameramen, our work takes more time on the field in order to find those beautiful pictures in front of us, and to create a trusted relationship with the characters.

— Your documentary is rich in characters (besides the main character). How much time did it take to make them feel free in front of the camera and film crew?

— Some of them instantly forgot the camera, while others needed some time. When we were meeting new people, we were discussing together with the director to see if they could be interesting to film. If they were, we could stay around one week on a location, and then go back on the road.

— What was the most difficult part during the production period? What problems did your team encounter during the filming? How did you solve them?

— The trip was quite long (4 months production without interruption), and it was hard for some of us to be on the road for that much time. Obviously we had little issues, because we were always living next to each other, but they were easy to solve since we know each others very well.

— The film has very dynamic editing. Did you make this decision during the post-production process or before filming?

— Mehdi Rondeleux, who's director and editor of the film, has its very own style of editing, that you can find in almost all of his movies. We all knew he would use this kind of raw cut /dynamic editing. The shooting was very open and everyone could give ideas or try some particular effect. During the post-production sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't… You have to deal with it and find solutions. At each step we let the place for improvisation and surprise.

— Did you look for characters in advance or those people were met during the trip?

— Most of them were met during the trip, we also had contacts in Europe that we wanted to meet, because we knew that they would become great characters or great guides.

Режиссеры фильма о форуме в социальных сетях

— There are a lot of picturesque locations in your documentary. Did you do location scouting or was it a happy accident?

— There was no location scouting and most of the places we went to were found by accident. But our contacts and friends in Europe helped us a lot. Especially in cities.

Marvin and Lucas presenting their project during the practical conference in the Hermitage Theater

Marvin and Lucas answering questions from the audience of the their practical conference in the Hermitage Theater

And listening to the presentations of the other participants of the «Dialogue of Cultures»

— Did you discover something new about Europe, it's citizens and a life in general during the filming process? Was it something you've never thought of before this project?

— I guess that's what the movie is about. Discovering a global feeling about Europe, trying to find other ways of life. This road trip also made us discover the variety and richness of Europe's culture. It is a unique place in the world, and the cultural borders between countries can sometimes be very abstracts. Where did Europe really ended ? The movies is kind of experimental on that field, because there are a lot of answers we don't know, but at least it shows many possibilities.

Stay tuned:

Marvin: +46 678 1255868
Lucas: +33 635 244474
lucaspalen@hotmail.com
marvin.kanas@gmail.com

Documentary «AS LONG AS WE GO EAST»

Documentary
«AS LONG AS WE GO EAST»