Congratulations to Professor Cristobal Bianchi from the Studio Art department at UIUC, for his remarkable achievement in winning the "Best Micro Short award at the Austin International Art Festival 2024". This project was brought to life through a collaboration with Prof. Victor Font from the College of Media at UIUC, Prof. Marco Trevisiani from the School of Art & Design at UIUC, and Poetry Translator Elizabeth Zuba. The voices of poets Alejandra del Río, Mariana Camelio, Gabriela Paz Morales Urrutia, and Rocío Cerón provide an additional layer of emotional resonance, further enriching the film’s experience.
"Weathered by the Sun" is a film that shares the common thread of light, memory, video cameras and the observation of nature. Featuring family videos from the 1940s, recorded by his grandfather, it captures his father's childhood with a profound sense of intimacy and nostalgia, along with contemporary scenes of the latest total eclipse and local sights from Urbana. The film is a mixture of visual texture and auditory experience, further enriched by Prof. Bianchi’s own poetry, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in a multisensory journey.
This work has also received nominations at the Chicago Short Festival 2024 and has been selected for the official lineup at the Fotogenia Festival in Mexico 2024.
We look forward to seeing how Prof. Bianchi continues to inspire and push the boundaries of poetry, art and film in the years to come at the University of Illinois.
Watch video here (password: Saturno) Dr. Bianchi recommends watching the film with earphones to fully appreciate the rich, layered sound design, which enhances the emotional impact of the visuals.
