“Figure 5” By Bertil Nilsson

“Figure 5” is an uplifting portrait of Marcelino Sambé, principal dancer at The Royal Ballet, who reflects on otherness in ballet and speaks frankly about his own journey. Featuring his expressive movement, and set against the stunning background of Marcelino's home town of Lisbon.

In the summer of 2020, when Marcelino reached out to me I jumped at the opportunity to join him on a visit to his hometown of Lisbon and make this film. The enforced break from the stage that coincided with the murder of George Floyd, prompted a unique opportunity for him to reflect on his own journey. It turned into a privileged opportunity for me to collaborate with a talented artist at a critical juncture to create something meaningful for both of us.

I always try to follow my instincts when actually shooting. Especially “Figures”, this series of films that is made in an experimental and improvised way. Marcelino has such a beautiful range of expressive movement, and I really wanted to explore that range using different settings that would give us some nice contrasts.

We were lucky to secure permission to film at the architectural landmark of Casa das histórias Paula Rego with its pink-hued concrete. Together with the other locations around Lisbon, it gave us many opportunities to play with the tension between hard and soft, peaceful and explosive, dark and light.

In the end I’m really happy with how we managed to bring everything together, with the talents of our editor Anna Meller and long time sound collaborator Angel Perez Grandi, into something that raises important points about ballet but still embodies Marcelino’s uplifting energy.

Bertil Nilsson - Director, Producer

Credits

Featuring: Marcelino Sambé
Director, Producer: Bertil Nilsson
Editor: Anna Meller
Sound Designer & Mix: Angel Perez Grandi
Focus Puller, Drone Operator: Lucas Aliaga-Hurt

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