No One Ever Looked At Elephants as You Do
by Sandra Jovanovska
Nihče ni nikoli gledal slonov kot ti, 2025, animated, stop motion, digital DCP, 1,77:1 (16:9), c, 9 min
SI, MK
Finished
A lyrical and visually rich animated poem, exploring the transformation of motherhood into a pure, primal state of being. Within the mechanical boundaries of the body – skin, body hair, mother's milk – an intimate alchemy takes place. The baby's perspective, from the womb to its first steps, becomes a lens through which the mother re-experiences the world. She is no longer just a woman; she becomes an Earth Mother: an ecosystem charged by magic and raw biology. Food morphs into soil, toys into living creatures, and the body into a garden. The film is a hymn to the inexplicable force of the organic bond between mother and infant.
Sandra Jovanovska, a young multimedia artist in Slovenia, studied French and English before pursuing further education at the Academy of Arts, University of Nova Gorica. She engages in diverse artistic endeavors in the cultural sector, collaborating with independent initiatives globally. Working across digital and analog media, her film "Scarecrow cross" won Best Student Film at "Cinedays" in Skopje, and "Animals Are Special Effects" earned Best Experimental Film at the "Progeny Short Film Fest…
I anticipate this animation to be a powerful intimate vision into my growth during the process of early maternal life. Because I experienced pregnancy and early motherhood as a fairly isolated journey, I have an irresistible feeling of sharing this superimposed emotional state. I feel the best way to do this is by means of images and poetry. Abstract to some extent. Controlled but without any need to be in control.
On the other hand, I am quite intrigued by how we look at things, in particular…
Stara Gara is one of Slovenia’s best-established film production companies, with a rich portfolio of projects involving the most prominent directors and key talent in filmmaking from Slovenia and the wider European area. As a delegate producer, Staragara has participated in the creation of nine feature films. It boasts premieres at prestigious film festivals such as Venice, Cannes, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, Locarno, Tallinn, IDFA, Sarajevo, and Tribeca.