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« Cancelled Is a story that begins as a fairy tale ends. With a wedding. The one who must unite, in Valencia, Luke Eve, Australian director and author of two acclaimed webseries (” Low Life »In 2015 and« High Life “In 2018) and Maria Albinana, a Spanish actress also well known from the” scene “of short formats (notably in” No life of its own »In 2013 and« We all wanted to kill the president »In 2017). In April, family and friends from all over the world are invited for a weekend of festivities… Festivities that will never take place. In a few days, the coronavirus ignites the world, empties airports at the same time as bars and restaurants. And just a few hours before the planned ceremony, the couple find themselves confined in an apartment with Luke’s mother, like three urban castaways thrown there by a planetary storm. Everything is canceled, the life we were supposed to celebrate is suddenly suspended …
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Discover “Canceled” exclusively on Destimed with French subtitles.
What we were going through had all the elements of a series
And that’s exactly where “ Cancelled “, The series that Luke and Maria wrote and produced during their confinement, a project that almost imposed itself on its authors:” The confinement in Valencia was very sudden, but above all very severe with a total ban on going out except for shopping or medical reasons and helicopters to monitor the streets. We were stuck, like everyone else, but also suddenly without work and with an elderly person to protect… The first weeks were trying and the situation was really intense. One evening we realized that what we were going through had all the elements of a series. We immediately offered the project to Screen Australia. They agreed and we started writing right away to shoot two weeks later. »
Moments in the series that are very raw, which are just our own reactions, our own emotions
Already a few dozen at least confined creators, out of spite, boredom or defiance, have made short films or webseries on this forced isolation. But ” Cancelled Is undoubtedly the most successful to date. Because the lovers-producers did not try to be light, incisive or clever, they simply chose sincerity. In each episode, they paint an intimate picture of a slice of their suspended existence and unfold in sober scenes, the thread of their successive emotions. They tell us about the diffuse fear, the boredom that we think we are deceiving, the “outside” suddenly so far away and the neighbors suddenly so close, the small joys, the great resolutions, the meandering of feelings… ” We scripted our situation of course, to add a bit of drama or comedy here and there or for the structure of the narrative. But it all starts with what we’ve been through, sometimes even while we were writing or filming a scene. We were literally in our story playing it and filming it as it unfolded. There are a lot of moments in the show that are very raw, which are just our own reactions, our own emotions. “. Indeed, with small touches of comedy or drama, absurdity or gravity, Maria and Luke have made of their unique story a universal narrative for all those who, everywhere in the world, have lived (and survived) a year. “Canceled”. And then, there can be no question of commenting ” Cancelled Without making a very special mention to Karen Eve, Luke’s mom. Embedded in fact in the adventure, she turns out to be a born actress and punctuates her appearances with sweetness and smiles.
This series made a connection between us and all these people
« Cancelled “Is also a remarkable series because it was produced entirely under the conditions of” social distancing “. The episodes shot in Valencia were edited and mixed in Australia with support from Screen Australia and the Argentinian online channel UN3. First broadcast on Facebook, the series was immediately successful, already followed by several festival awards. ” The feedback was incredible and totally unexpected. We have already received thousands of messages from all over the world, from people who all tell us that they recognize themselves in our episodes. This series made a connection between us and all of these people. And then, even if this shoot was naturally very intimate, we really insisted on the quality of the narration. In the end, it’s a real series, a drama that talks about love, not just confinement “. In times of turmoil, we have always needed great stories that do good. They allow us to take height in chaos and reconnect us all through emotion. A powerful vaccine against resignation.
Joel BASSAGET
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