Vanessa McMahon

Orly Anan is a Colombian/ Israeli visual artist and art director. Her recent short film “EIN SOF” (the infinite circus), is a reacreation of a classic talent show that is set in a parallel galaxy where the living beings already inhabit have migrated to a more evolved state. All the characters in the film have Cabalistic letters and messages imprinted on their faces reflecting different emotions and superpowers through the constellation of letters.

Orly Anan is interested in the mysticism implicated in everyday life. She is currently experimenting with the intersection of ritual and popular culture, as well as Anthropocosmic Surrealism. Her research has led her to explore the traditions of various countries, from Asia to Latin America, these cultures being her main inspiration. She currently has a studio in Mexico City.

The film’s soundtrack is by Colombian/Canadian music artist Lido Pimienta. Dreambear's Evan Brown is executive producer and Dreambear is the production company.

Dreambear is a contemporary production company and animation studio based in Brooklyn, New York, with production teams in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta, United Kingdom and South America. Dreambear engages with artists all over the world to create impactful visual stories and experiences, building clients’ and artists’ brands through cinematic live action films and cutting edge animation ranging from CGI to stop motion. Dreambear prides itself in curating the next generation of directors and animators for all digital content.

In a recent interview with Anan, here is what she had to say:

Can you tell us about your visual artist career and how you became a visual artist?

ANAN: Ever since I was 15 years old, I always knew that art was definitely the language of my soul. For many years I saw it more as an experimentation and not so much as my career; but slowly, in the past six years, everything has come together. I am finding my own language through persistence, experimentation and the investigation of my personal and artistic life.

What made you decide to make a film about your art?

ANAN: I started working with Dreambear, which is the production company that represents me, and speaking with Evan Brown, who is the owner of the company. He told me, “I want you to make your dream project come true.” I told him my dream project would be to create a surreal circus. So, by giving me the freedom and the right time and space, I was able to manifest the idea of EIN SOF.

Your film is called EIN SOF. What does that mean?

ANAN: EIN SOF means “infinite”, literally “without end”, in Kabbalah, is understood as God prior to any self-manifestation. In the production of any spiritual realm, starting from this great Cabalistic concept, this project is a vision of the infinite and unlimited possibilities that exist within our being to imagine altered universes and infinite characters loaded with cosmic messages. The idea behind EIN SOF is to recreate a classic “talent show” that is set in a parallel galaxy where the living beings already inhabit and have migrated to a more evolved state. However, these beings from planet EIN SOF have gathered here to perform and to present all their wonderful attributes. This will be only the beginning of infinites to come. Moreover, all the characters have cabalistic letters and messages imprinted on their faces reflecting different emotions and superpowers through the constellation of letters. My investigation attempts to open up our understanding of an altered reality by mixing ancient cultures with imaginary ones. Each character brings a message, each character has a superpower, each character has an exuberant talent. Therefore, EIN SOF is a channel through which unlimited possibilities are streamed.

How do you use your background as Israeli and Colombian in your work?

ANAN: My background is my roots, my essence, my truth - so inevitably the various influences affect absolutely everything I do. My heritage and my culture are translated into my artistic language in my every creation.

How does life in Mexico City influence your art and career?

ANAN: To live in Mexico City has always been a dream for me since I was 14 years old. When I finally arrived there about six years ago, it immediately felt like home. Mexico City is this mystical land charged with so much energy and ancestral knowledge, mixed with the essence of so many more Latin American migrations. It’s a city of constant stimulation and full of so many layers. I find it fascinating to see how endless it can be to get lost in the city and always keep finding new things that fill me up with inspiration.

Lido Pimienta scores your film. Can you tell us about her music?

ANAN: Besides being an extremely talented artist, musician, singer and composer, Lido Pimienta is also a great person and a very close friend of mine,  so it was absolutely organic to have the conversation with her about making the score for this film. She knows how to read my soul and translate each one of the images into beautiful voices and music.

Can you tell us one of the biggest challenges you faced while making your film?

ANAN: One of the biggest challenges was to manifest the perfect dialogue between the story I wanted to tell, finding the right performers and then creating special characters for each one of them. To be able to move and manifest the whole message behind the film, and to translate the Kabbalistic constellation of letters into movement, was definitely a challenge.

What has been your biggest reward about making this film?

ANAN: The biggest reward in making this film has definitely been to prove to myself that I can dream big and once again, there’s no other better way to create bigger projects by collaborating and uniting forces with more creative brains. Film, as well as theater, are the masters of all hearts, so when crafts and arts unify themselves in a harmonious way, that's when the challenge becomes absolute satisfaction. 

Your film is now in the festival circuit. How has that been? How have audiences reacted? 

ANAN: For now, I have received amazing feedback from people that come from different backgrounds and ages, and the most satisfying part is that more artists from different disciplines are getting inspired to create their own stories.

What will you be working on next?

ANAN: I’m going to start organizing my ideas and putting them together in a more specific way. I would love to start putting together a coffee table book where I can unify a lot of my work from the past five years.

Interview by Vanessa McMahon