The Birth of an Idea (2023)

a film by Iulia Enkelana

music by Horia Constantinescu

About three and a half years ago I was walking around the city with my camera and reflecting on the process of creation. Looking for a cinematic language that would suit me, struggling to set myself free from the various constraints of filmmaking, from how films 'should' be and feel. Trying to give a genuine form to my interior experience, and to accurately illustrate my daily life, usually defined by the act of turning concrete events and elements into abstract ones - converting raw life to works of art.

I edited most of the shots in this film shortly after taking them, as part of a complex and profoundly intimate process of looking for rhythms, sensations, and the right structure, of constantly «killing my darlings» and setting boundaries, simultaneously with taking notes before and at every step, for almost two years.

In 2023 Horia Constantinescu wrote the music for this project, emphasizing on the (conscious or unconscious) road from chaos to grace within the act of creating a work of art. Emphasizing on imperfection and introspection, on the quest for harmony and sincerity, as well as on the both painful and liberating aspects it may include.

I find it challenging to watch this film now, with all the distance that has grown between us, with all the aesthetic and human experiences I've gained in the meantime - and I am still troubled by the limits and invisible blending of life and art, but I somehow consider it to be my first serious cinema experiment, so I thought it was about time to share it.