Célia Hay


And the River walked with us (2017)
Film 
Duration 3'09 min, Super 8 color 4/3 and phone footage
A collaboration between Anne Vimeux and Célia Hay

    The film is about a pilgrimage that took place by the River Thames. As part of this journey, Anne Vimeux and I walked from the Thames’ spring to its mouth. We captured thus the isolation of living in autarky, the gestures of our everyday routine as well as some rituals. A certain sense of loss emerges from this strange pilgrimage. As and when the walk progresses, some odd silhouettes and events occur. The physical and mental effort of the walk leads to a dissolution of the bodies which appear then as some kind of ghosts. Eventually, as our journey ends by the sea, we reach a certain state of sweet madness.

    This film was commissioned by Channel 4 Random Acts, the Institute of Contemporary Arts London, and Dazed & Confused Magazine. It premiered at the BAFTA qualifying festival London Short Film Festival 2018, and was part of the ‘Playback’ touring exhibition accross various art centres (Tyneside Cinema, HOME Manchester, MAC Birmingham, etc) and film festivals (Sheffield Doc Fest, Encounters Film Festival) in England in association with Random Acts.


And the River walked with us (full film)