Waiting for Sancho

Waiting for Sancho is an ontological investigation into a place where cinema becomes something more than cinema. Filmed in high-definition colour over five days in the Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Tenerife, Waiting for Sancho is a kind of experimental “making of” the critically acclaimed El cant dels ocells (Birdsong_/_Le chant des oiseaux). A particular take on the Biblical story of The Three Kings en route to the baby Jesus, El cant dels ocells premiered at the Quinzaine des Realisateurs at Cannes 2008.

In the tradition of Pasolini and Straub-Huillet, El cant dels ocells is an experiential, religious film, one whose final product reveals little of its creation. Entirely improvised based on a 30-page outline, the film saw the crew traversing scorching deserts, climb the highest mountain in Spain, and hike through wind-scraped, rocky plains in an environment of barely controlled anarchy. Given unfettered access to shoot anything as long as he didn’t step in front of the camera, Mark Peranson has created an intimate, dignified, and humorous tracing of the interplay between Albert Serra, his nonprofessional actors, and his dedicated crew (in particular, Montse Triola, Serra’s partner in Andergraun Films). The result is an immersive, intimate look into the process and elements of filmmaking. It shows how Serra creates a familial world that extends outwards from in front of the camera to behind it, a world bursting with invention, generosity, frustration and love, where the rules are created by the authors. —CinemaScope