Sameness Magnificence by Alana Waksman _ Trailer

Sameness: Magnificence
10’, United States
One woman: two worlds. How do they collide?
A woman is stuck in a claustrophobic sameness. She is magnificently present. She finds her strength in the softness of air and light. It is between the push and pull of the two worlds that she can become herself.
Director Biography - Alana Waksman
Jacqueline Cousineau (writer/choreographer/dancer) is an American dancer, choreographer, and improviser based in Paris, France. She studied under choreographers David Dorfman and Maguy Marin, at Connecticut College and the Centre Choreographique National Rillieux-le-pape respectively. Her work gravitates towards themes surrounding stillness, space, and storytelling. She holds a Masters in Dance summa cum laude from Université Paris 8 | Vincennes - Saint-Denis.
Alana Waksman (director/producer/editor) is an Ashkenazi writer, director, and descendant of Holocaust survivors from Poland. She is an alum of the USC School of Cinematic Arts MFA in Film & Television Production, and Connecticut College BA in Theater and English. As an actor, she trained at Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theater Festival, St. Petersburg Dramatic Arts Academy in Russia, and The O'Neill National Theater Institute where she studied under Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo.
WE BURN LIKE THIS, Alana's debut feature, stars Madeleine Coghlan (THE ROOKIE) and Devery Jacobs (RESERVATION DOGS) and is executive produced by Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer Neda Armian (RACHEL GETTING MARRIED). The film premiered at the 2021 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, internationally at Deauville American Film Festival, and has played at 31 festivals and garnered 10 awards. The film was released in theaters and on VOD in June 2022, internationally in 2023.
www.alanawaksman.com
Director Statement
SAMENESS: MAGNIFICENCE was cut from improvisations with specifically decided movement qualities. The original score and sound design was added after editing was completed. The film is a deeply personal story and also a celebration of the Salinas Valley and its surrounding hills in California.
The woman alone walks a path towards something new in a place where one is tempted to see everything as the same. Each movement is given its time, leading us in a voyage through different worlds that exist in this one person. The story unfurls as the woman changes her relationship to space. This is a story of how she (and we) come to terms with what is inside of ourselves, exactly where we are.
SAMENESS: MAGNIFICENCE is choreographer/dancer Jacqueline Cousineau and director/producer Alana Waksman's first collaboration and first screendance work.
Director, Producer, and Editor - Alana Waksman
Writer, Choreographer and Key Cast - Jacqueline Cousineau
Director of Photography - B. Rubén Mendoza
Scenography - Kate Fry
Music - Logan Stahley
Re-Recording Mixer: Abe Betancourt
Colorist: Michael Schatz
Hair and Makeup: Remy Campbell
Alana Waksman (director/producer/editor), [e-mail], @alanawaksman
B. Rubén Mendoza (cinematographer), @mendozaphoto
Logan Stahley (composer), @loganstahley
Kate Fry (scenographer) @kate_fry
Abe Betancourt (re-recording mixer), @anselabe
Michael Schatz (colorist), @thescarletrebel
Remy Campbell (hair/makeup), @remy.makeupfx