Back in May, i-D teamed up with Magnum and director Xavier Dolan to launch the emerging filmmaker competition Be True to Your Pleasure, focusing on the themes of personal pleasure, indulgence and the joy of letting go. We can now announce that the winners of the competition, selected by a judging panel that includes Xavier Dolan, are the exciting new filmmakers Andrew Cumming, Kara Smith and Patrick Downing.
Cumming’s film Kai uses strong visuals and a keen sense of movement to tell the story of an isolated dance student reconnecting with the pleasure of her craft when her fellow students encourage her to let go. Kara Smith’s Wild Space employs a wry take on love story conventions, telling the tale of a fisherman battling for the heart of his one true love – an exhilarating expression of how pleasures can shape our lives for the better. And Patrick Downing’s Zap is an effective and humorous snapshot, presenting a little moment of shared pleasure in the lives of an elderly couple.
The three emerging filmmakers will now receive funding and production support to actually make their short films, with invaluable mentoring from Xavier Dolan. The films will receive an exclusive premiere on i-D’s website in September 2015.