Catarina de Sousa and Nick Tyson, 2021
27’, video and 8mm film, color, surround sound, spoken in English. Portugal. Distribution and sales by Portugal Film – Portuguese Film Agency.
27’, video and 8mm film, color, surround sound, spoken in English. Portugal. Distribution and sales by Portugal Film – Portuguese Film Agency.
SYNOPSIS
Tracing Utopia is an odyssey into the dreams of a group of queer teens in New York City as they envision a better world. Directed by Catarina de Sousa and Nick Tyson, this short documentary imagines a form of queer community transcending time, through glimpses of a utopia made manifest in the streets, in community spaces, and online. A collaborative manifesto weaves these pasts and futures together—calling for the change that queer youth strive for today: “As queer teens in Queens, we demand this in order to build a better world.”
Tracing Utopia premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It was the winner of the Best Narrative Short Film Award at the Kashish Mumbai International Short Film Festival and had a Special Mention from the Casa Comum Award at Queer Porto both in 2021, and a Special Mention at Porto Femme in 2022.
Tracing Utopia is an odyssey into the dreams of a group of queer teens in New York City as they envision a better world. Directed by Catarina de Sousa and Nick Tyson, this short documentary imagines a form of queer community transcending time, through glimpses of a utopia made manifest in the streets, in community spaces, and online. A collaborative manifesto weaves these pasts and futures together—calling for the change that queer youth strive for today: “As queer teens in Queens, we demand this in order to build a better world.”
Tracing Utopia premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It was the winner of the Best Narrative Short Film Award at the Kashish Mumbai International Short Film Festival and had a Special Mention from the Casa Comum Award at Queer Porto both in 2021, and a Special Mention at Porto Femme in 2022.
CREDITS
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED: Catarina de Sousa and Nick Tyson, with Asher, Chase, Jay, Mars, Raphael
CAST: Asher, Chase, Mars, Jay, Raphael, Julia, Lindsey
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Catarina de Sousa, Nick Tyson
SOUND RECORDINGS: H. Mur, Rafael Gonçalves Cardoso
SOUND MIX: Rafael Gonçalves Cardoso
EDITING: Catarina de Sousa
PRODUCERS: UnionDocs, Catarina de Sousa, Nick Tyson
PRODUCED: Foi Bonita a Festa
WITH THE KIND SUPPORT OF UnionDocs
CAMERA ASSISTANT: Hõbe Ilus
ART ASSISTANT: Daniel Monello
ART DIRECTION: Advisor James Bartol
VISUAL EFFECTS: Catarina Aguiar, Nick Tyson
COLOR CORRECTION: Rita Lamas
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Catarina Aguiar
EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Christopher Allen
PRODUCER OF LABS AND WORKSHOPS: Martine Granby
ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Jenny Miller
MENTOR: Tara Mateik
MINECRAFT CONSTRUCTIONS: Asher, Chase, Julia, Lindsey, Mars, Raphael, MrGarretto
SUPER 8MM FOOTAGE: “Queer Liberation March” NY, 2020
FILM AND REVEALED: Catarina de Sousa at MONO NO AWARE
SUPPORTED: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
MUSIC: “Life on Mars?” by David Bowie and “Touch-Tone Telephone” by Lemon Demon
TEXT ADAPTED FROM: The Unavowable Community by Maurice Blanchot and “Changes” by David Bowie
CAST: Asher, Chase, Mars, Jay, Raphael, Julia, Lindsey
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Catarina de Sousa, Nick Tyson
SOUND RECORDINGS: H. Mur, Rafael Gonçalves Cardoso
SOUND MIX: Rafael Gonçalves Cardoso
EDITING: Catarina de Sousa
PRODUCERS: UnionDocs, Catarina de Sousa, Nick Tyson
PRODUCED: Foi Bonita a Festa
WITH THE KIND SUPPORT OF UnionDocs
CAMERA ASSISTANT: Hõbe Ilus
ART ASSISTANT: Daniel Monello
ART DIRECTION: Advisor James Bartol
VISUAL EFFECTS: Catarina Aguiar, Nick Tyson
COLOR CORRECTION: Rita Lamas
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Catarina Aguiar
EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Christopher Allen
PRODUCER OF LABS AND WORKSHOPS: Martine Granby
ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Jenny Miller
MENTOR: Tara Mateik
MINECRAFT CONSTRUCTIONS: Asher, Chase, Julia, Lindsey, Mars, Raphael, MrGarretto
SUPER 8MM FOOTAGE: “Queer Liberation March” NY, 2020
FILM AND REVEALED: Catarina de Sousa at MONO NO AWARE
SUPPORTED: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
MUSIC: “Life on Mars?” by David Bowie and “Touch-Tone Telephone” by Lemon Demon
TEXT ADAPTED FROM: The Unavowable Community by Maurice Blanchot and “Changes” by David Bowie
FILM FESTIVALS
IFFR | International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2021 (premiere)
BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, UK, 2021
É Tudo Verdade, Brazil, 2021
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany, 2021
Vienna Shorts - Vienna Independent Short Film Festival, Austria, 2021
Hamburg Short Film Festival, Germany, 2021
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Portugal, 2021
Queer Porto, Portugal, 2021 (Special Mention from the Casa Comum Award)
Uppsala Short Film Festival, Sweden, 2021
Porto Femme, Portugal, 2022 (Special Mention)
Helsinki International Film Festival - Love & Anarchy, Finland, 2022
International Film Festival BRNO16, Czech Republic, 2022
IFFR | International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2021 (premiere)
BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, UK, 2021
É Tudo Verdade, Brazil, 2021
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany, 2021
Vienna Shorts - Vienna Independent Short Film Festival, Austria, 2021
Hamburg Short Film Festival, Germany, 2021
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Portugal, 2021
Queer Porto, Portugal, 2021 (Special Mention from the Casa Comum Award)
Uppsala Short Film Festival, Sweden, 2021
Porto Femme, Portugal, 2022 (Special Mention)
Helsinki International Film Festival - Love & Anarchy, Finland, 2022
International Film Festival BRNO16, Czech Republic, 2022
SCREENINGS
HOME, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2022
Arquipélago, São Miguel Island, Portugal, 2022
Pinchuk Art Center, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2021
HOME, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2022
Arquipélago, São Miguel Island, Portugal, 2022
Pinchuk Art Center, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2021