From piano to animation, João Gonzalez, gave the Master Class: "Ice Merchants" - From a Student Film to the Oscars® at the 40th edition of the International Film Festival in Guadalajara (FICG40) that took place at the Ágora Jenkins of the University Cultural Center of the University of Guadalajara.
Film director, animator, illustrator and musician, João Gonzalez shared the richness of his creative process in shaping the moving short film Ice Merchants (2022), a work that earned him accolades at festivals such as Cannes and an Oscar nomination.
The young creator explained to the audience the different stages of the elaboration of his project chronologically: from the rescue of dreamlike ideas and the composition of the musical pieces, to the choice of colors as a narrative tool. In Ice Merchants, João sought to explore grief and loneliness, as well as the small rituals that accompany the processes of loss.
For the Portuguese artist, his limitations -whether in drawing or the difficulty of expressing himself in words- are only opportunities to discover new ways of narrating. He also stressed the importance of working with a team from which you can learn and that encourages you to improve as a creator.
After the success of Ice Merchants, the director spoke of the freedom he now feels in making his next projects: "I think people now trust me a little bit to produce a film and that I have the freedom to do what I want exactly how I want it and seeing that gives me more happiness. I don't think that one day I will make a big production. For me the biggest priority is just to be very happy making these kinds of films that are 100 percent what I want."