I had the absolute pleasure of watching the short film "Everything is Upstream" by film maker Martin Ponferrada. It is such a mesmerizing piece of work depicting the dreams of Buddhist Monks using animation to illustrate their dreams, that I knew I needed to know more about Martin and where his film career was heading. I had the opportunity to interview Martin Ponferrada, and discovered a film maker I will be keeping a close eye on.
Welcome to The Australian Short Film Network Martin
Martin - Thank you for having me.
Can you tell us a bit about your animation/documentary Everything is Upstream and what inspired it?
Martin - "Everything is Upstream" attempts to visually depict dreams incepted in the minds of Buddhist practitioners -- minds which I have long suspected possess a level of clarity inaccessible to those of us who tend to clutter our own thoughts with unimportant things. I once read somewhere of an experiment where Buddhist monks were presented with optical illusions; and they reacted with a higher level of clarity than was usual. Here I began to wonder what visuals would emerge if such monks were asked to aim this amazing clarity on themselves.
What is your favourite Australian film?
Martin - A Woman's Tale.
How has Covid 19 affected your career?
Martin - Prior to the lock-down I nabbed an exciting shooting gig where I first had to spend a ton of cash on a new 200mm Panasonic lens...which I never got to use. But the week I lost that contract, I gained another for editing. Doors close, doors open. Sometimes there is balance in the universe.
I know there are others in this field that have not been so fortunate, so if there are other artists in need of a quick show-reel edit, or in the midst of a short film inches away from completion, please email me at m.ponferrada@gmail.com - and if our schedules align, I can offer my services for free.
What project are you currently working on? Martin - Oftentimes meditation brings perspective, and with that, a focus on death. So being acutely aware of our limited time in this world, I tend to say "yes" to a lot of things. A lot. Chief among them is a final-pass edit for a comedy web series set to stream this July or August, depending on whether deadlines are met. It's called "Lunch Room" and the titular space is situated in a low-end supermarket, where we follow the antics of retail staffers just trying to get through each day. It's improvisation-heavy, which is right up my alley; I wrote and directed a few episodes (the darker ones mostly). Yes, it is a comedy, but not a particularly gag or skit oriented one. Episodes have overtones of tragedy and drama as characters deal with that all-too human feeling of being stuck. After this, I will be embarking on a few more rotoscoped shorts.
If you could work with any actor or film maker who would it be and why? Martin - The directors who made Tanna! I have always wanted to immerse myself in village culture, especially somewhere dense and tropical and away from everything and everyone. I have been trying to capture something similar within my home village in The Philippine tropics, but as is often the case, practical matters kept pulling me back to 'civilisation' so to speak. I much prefer the provinces to the cities, the jungles to the towns, and I'd love to witness the process by which cinematic stories like Tanna can be coaxed from their specific environments.
If you could remake of any Australian film what would it be and why?
Martin - I wouldn't presume. But if pressed for an answer, I do think Don's Party would be no less relevant in an updated setting.
Do you have any advice for people starting out in film?
Martin - Meditate. Breathe. Go on walks. Long walks. Even in the rain. There is never a bad time on-set or off to centre yourself - but maybe not with the long walks. Do that when there aren't actors waiting.
What is your favourite genre of film and why? Martin - I don't know if I have a particular genre to which I am partial. Like most people I know, I tend to love and value anything from any genre as long as it makes me feel it's worth fighting for. But I do have a partiality to certain techniques. Foremost, I love improvisation. I love it when filmmakers tackle half-formed scripts and the performers are forced to connect dots rather than stick to lines. I love that shaky sense of timing and reaction that emerges in unrehearsed situations. To me, improvisation represents humans interacting with the universe in as close to a pure form as possible.
What was the last movie you watched? Martin - I watched some of Lynn Shelton's films recently. I love the Mumblecore movement and I was so shocked to hear that she died. She was so young, and her films were so beautiful, and it was so unexpected. I saw Humpday a few days ago, and My Effortless Brilliance before that. I anticipate I will be watching more of Shelton's work in the coming weeks.
When did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in film?
Martin - I don't know if that was something I decided. Sometimes the universe just conspires to put you on a path, and you find yourself completely powerless in its forward momentum. But I do know I became a film-buff around 20 years ago, so now it's more a case of me relishing any interaction I can get with the medium...rather than actively pursuing a job. I hope that makes sense.
Describe yourself in 5 words? Martin - Trying to keep myself centred.
Where can our readers find you?
Martin - Following this Buddhist film, I landed a job working for a Muslim charity overseeing their diverse video-making infrastructure. I was editing footage miraculously captured from the most remote and war-torn regions in Yemen, Syria, the Rohingya camps in Burma and more. Having just wrapped on this altruistic endeavour, my next move looks to be working on a project with Jewish documentarians. It seems I embody that paradox of an atheistic filmmaker running the full gamut of all the major religions. Outside of work, progress on the previously mentioned Lunch Room can be tracked via our facebook page, Instagram feed and official website:
https://www.facebook.com/lunchroomwebseries/
https://www.instagram.com/lunchroomseriesweb/
https://www.lunchroomseries.com/
And I also have a trilogy of isolation-themed films in the works, two of them already shot, and I will be creating a dedicated website for them once the third is in the can.
Thank you for talking to us Martin.
Martin - My pleasure. With metta and loving kindness.
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