Directed by Anna Radchenko
Featuring alternative pop singer and songwriter Jones, Lost Time is the latest fashion film by multidisciplinary artist Anna Radchenko. The film looks at the passing of time as something fleeting and out of our control.
A movement-led piece, Lost Time represents a positive journey into learning to coexist with time. The film employs the malleability of sand as a metaphor for time slowly seeping through our hands. We are presented with a path filled with challenges and frustrations, expressed in the video through sandstorms and exploding hourglasses, but also eternal moments of beauty and peace as we stand proud and unaffected by sand floating around us. We thus become queens and kings of our own destiny, ready to accept, embrace and experience what is laid ahead of us.
To emphasise the feeling of the passing of time, movement director Jamie Neale supported Jones in ensuring that every minute movement worked as subtle detail to express her emotions. The styling also plays a vital role in emphasising the ethereal nature of the film. Curated by Elizabeth Jane Bishop and Max Saward, they involved labels such as the romantic non-binary Harris Reed and the effortlessly chic Ukrainian womenswear brand Nadya Dzyak.
Lost Time is currently touring across the international film festival circuit. With over 40 selections across 15 countries, the fashion film has already received 12 awards including Best Commonwealth Fashion Film and Best CGI at Canadian International Fashion Film Festival, Best Experimental at Bristol Independent Film Festival, French Riviera Film Festival, and Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin, as well as Best VFX at the Croatia Fashion Film Festival and Detroit Shetown Women's Film Festival.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ANNA
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background
I see myself as a multidisciplinary artist. I graduated in Fashion Photography from the London College of Fashion, so that was my first step into the creative world. Before that, I wasn’t particularly surrounded by creativity. But I had always been inspired by psychology and philosophy! Questions over our human existence explored by the likes of Alfried Längle - then video became a tool to explore all these ideas and arguments.
What inspiration and influences made you want to create Lost Time?
At the time I was doing a lot of reading on existential psychology, including the works of Viktor Frankl. For instance he argued that even in the most miserable of circumstances, we’ll still find our motivation in giving our lives meaning. Lost Time is a reflection of this existential drama, in which even though we are aware of the passing of time, we still aim to thrive and push forward.
What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?
The biggest challenge in terms of production however was sourcing sand, as the stuff you can buy in bulk isn’t the fine sand I was looking for. So ended up having to look at kids stores who were selling small amounts for sand pits. The twist is that the sand you buy is wet, so we then had to spend a whole night trying to dry on time.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
It’s always tricky with content that doesn’t quite fit into a specific genre. My work spans across fashion, music, art and dance so it’s important to tap into these channels to reach the right audiences. With most of my video work I look at festivals and press as great outlets. It’s very much about doing research and being able to tap into the right niche.
What are you working on now?
With the pandemic still underway, I primarily have to focus on making sure I have a steady source of income coming through my shoots and productions. Lost Time is indeed a passion project, but it’s something I had started way before and as such it was just a matter of working on the post production and bringing the piece to different audiences.
I’m also very much focused on my online academy, an online school I set up years ago with a focus on young creatives. I tried to diversify the options by offering different packages and shorter and more affordable masterclasses. I wanted to make sure my courses are accessible even in these trying times.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
More than watching, recently I have mostly been reading and listening. I guess because so much of my work revolves around visuals, I like to distract myself in other ways. For example I really enjoyed The Will to Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It’s right up my alley to be honest, as it’s about learning the techniques to combat the "existential vacuum." In terms of music, I love The Comet is Coming: jazzy, electronic, funky and psychedelic. But let me also introduce you to some Russian talent that I’m particularly fond of:
Хаски & масло черного тмина - Убей меня