Teresa Mular - FB
Can’t stop the sun from shining
2019
Screened in Italian premiére on the occasion of the XIII Florence Biennale, “Can’t stop the sun from shining” (2019) it’s a touching story of the life of four women between the ages of 94 and 105, whose narrative evolves through the sensitive gaze of Teresa Mular. The film boasts numerous nominations in international film festivals. During 2020 won the award for “best editing in a documentary” at the Fusion Film Festival UK and was Gold Winner in the “feature documentary” cathegory at the International Independent Film Awards.
Teresa Mular, born and raised in Argentina, began working as a director in 2009, after having dedicated the first part of her life to a medical career. Her love for the art of cinema - for silent cinema, in particular - and for people’s stories, however, has much deeper roots. The need to tell a story through the camera is what gave rise to her works, immediately appreciated by critics. An example of this is “Flying on the Wings of Time” (2011), which was shown on several occasions - including in Florence during the XXIV Women Film Festival - and which won the Silver Award on the occasion of the Oregon International Film Festival (USA 2014). With the documentary “The Muse and the Mountain” (2013), Teresa Mular was then awarded numerous prizes, including “best director
in a short documentary” at the Milan International Film Festival (2015) and “best foreign language short documentary” during the Berlin International Filmmaker (2016). Another particularly successful example in Teresa Mular’s career is “Now Boarding” (2015), which won, among others, best screenplay (Madrid International Filmmaker Festival 2016) and best comedy (Milano Film Festival 2016, Fusion Film Festival of Valencia and Brussels, 2019). With the documentary “Four Journeys” (2016), the director has won numerous other awards, including the Platinum Award at the “Short International Movie Awards” (2016) and the Top Winner Award at the “Cinema Grand Prix” of Bali (2017). “Can’t stop the sun from shining” is the most recent example of Teresa Mular’s works.
The title is emblematic and extremely representative of the subject matter of the film: four testimonies of courageous and strong women, who have faced wars, family traumas, pain and adversity, but who have found their way to shine through the dark times. And who continue to do so in an extraordinary way, despite their venerable age.
The filmmaker explained that the message of her documentary is to fight against a limiting view of old age; Teresa Mular says that ageism is often a discrimination in its own right and should be opposed like any other. Age is really just a number, just a biological question: one can still make a great contribution to society and live a full life until one's last day. The documentary is also an interesting opportunity to reflect on the theme of this edition of the Florence Biennale, addressing a not much investigated aspect of femininity. The four stories that follow one another in the medium-length film, also enriched by a series of photographs and short period films, are four slices of the lives of women who are great examples of tenacity, determination and positivity. A profound moment of reflection on the female universe and its strengths that persist - and indeed, intensify - with the passage of time.
In consideration of these aspects, the Florence Biennale bestowed on Teresa Mular the recognition
of 'Guest of Honour' of the 13th edition and the 'Lorenzo il Magnifico' President's Award.
Teresa Mular, born and raised in Argentina, began working as a director in 2009, after having dedicated the first part of her life to a medical career. Her love for the art of cinema - for silent cinema, in particular - and for people’s stories, however, has much deeper roots. The need to tell a story through the camera is what gave rise to her works, immediately appreciated by critics. An example of this is “Flying on the Wings of Time” (2011), which was shown on several occasions - including in Florence during the XXIV Women Film Festival - and which won the Silver Award on the occasion of the Oregon International Film Festival (USA 2014). With the documentary “The Muse and the Mountain” (2013), Teresa Mular was then awarded numerous prizes, including “best director
in a short documentary” at the Milan International Film Festival (2015) and “best foreign language short documentary” during the Berlin International Filmmaker (2016). Another particularly successful example in Teresa Mular’s career is “Now Boarding” (2015), which won, among others, best screenplay (Madrid International Filmmaker Festival 2016) and best comedy (Milano Film Festival 2016, Fusion Film Festival of Valencia and Brussels, 2019). With the documentary “Four Journeys” (2016), the director has won numerous other awards, including the Platinum Award at the “Short International Movie Awards” (2016) and the Top Winner Award at the “Cinema Grand Prix” of Bali (2017). “Can’t stop the sun from shining” is the most recent example of Teresa Mular’s works.
The title is emblematic and extremely representative of the subject matter of the film: four testimonies of courageous and strong women, who have faced wars, family traumas, pain and adversity, but who have found their way to shine through the dark times. And who continue to do so in an extraordinary way, despite their venerable age.
The filmmaker explained that the message of her documentary is to fight against a limiting view of old age; Teresa Mular says that ageism is often a discrimination in its own right and should be opposed like any other. Age is really just a number, just a biological question: one can still make a great contribution to society and live a full life until one's last day. The documentary is also an interesting opportunity to reflect on the theme of this edition of the Florence Biennale, addressing a not much investigated aspect of femininity. The four stories that follow one another in the medium-length film, also enriched by a series of photographs and short period films, are four slices of the lives of women who are great examples of tenacity, determination and positivity. A profound moment of reflection on the female universe and its strengths that persist - and indeed, intensify - with the passage of time.
In consideration of these aspects, the Florence Biennale bestowed on Teresa Mular the recognition
of 'Guest of Honour' of the 13th edition and the 'Lorenzo il Magnifico' President's Award.
