Nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards, perfectly a strangeness marks the first short from Canadian filmmaker Alison McAlpine, director of the wondrous 2017 feature Cielo. Ahead of a Criterion Channel debut on March 1 and the Oscars ceremony on March 15, we’re pleased to present an exclusive conversation between McAlpine and legendary editor and filmmaker Walter Murch.
World-premiering at Cannes and a selection in more than 70 other festivals across the world, perfectly a strangeness is described as such: “In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.”
“Walter Murch deeply inspires me,” says McAlpine. “Of course, I am referring to Walter as a film editor and sound designer on so many films, including Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, The Godfathers. Then there are Walter’s writings, The Blink of an Eye, his translation of Malaparte and his most recent, Suddenly Something Clicked, these are books I return to again and again, finding gems of wisdom and/or moments of pure poetry.”
She adds, “Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I would like to celebrate Walter’s generosity and humanity. I had just picture-locked my feature-film, CIELO and decided, at 2am, to send Walter a link to my film. We’d never met. Some two days later he wrote back, very politely, saying he was busy and would be unable to see it. A few days later, Walter wrote again. He’d seen my film and expressed, with passion, his support. I am truly honoured and grateful for Walter’s continued help as a resource and advocate of my work. I hope you enjoy our conversation about perfectly a strangeness as much as I did.”
Watch the conversation below, as well as McAlpine’s chat with Atom Egoyan here:
Read our reviews all 15 Oscar-nominated shorts here.