Balomania
TITLE
Balomania
DIRECTOR
Sissel Morell Dargis
COUNTRY
Denmark
YEAR
2024
DURATION
90′
GENRE
Documentary feature
Balomania
In BALOMANIA, a secret society of giant hot air balloon makers in Brazil's favelas risk everything to create and fly their illegal masterpieces. Dubbed as delinquents, these 'baloeiros' operate underground like street artists, bringing joy to their communities while evading government threats and bounty hunters. Director Sissel shares her initiation into the balloon brotherhood, where launching silk paper creations becomes an act of social redemption and collective dreaming.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - Sissel Morell Dargis
Sissel Morell Dargis is a Danish film director, graffiti painter and game director born to Lithuanian and Spanish parents in Copenhagen. Sissel has lived in several Latin American countries and spent the longest time in Brazil, where she studied multimedia and communication in São Paulo. She also worked as a freelance photographer, and at the age of 19 started a social project for young people in the Rocinha favela in Rio de Jainero, using art and cross-media tools to campaign for social changes. After leaving Brazil, Sissel continued to study documentary filmmaking at EICTV in Cuba. From here she graduated in 2018 with the short film PLASTICO, which was shown at a number of festivals and won the 'Opening Scenes Award' at Visions du Réel. Sissel has since trained as a game and animation director from The National Film School of Denmark, where she graduated with the indie game CAI CAI BALAO, also set in Brazil's secret world of hot air balloon makers. The game was nominated for 'Best Student Game' at IGF 2022 and exhibited at the Smithsonian Arts Museum, and has recently won Best Game and Best Impact Game at Games of Change, and exhibited at Copenhagen Gaming Week 2024. The new version of the game for mobile is under development. This is Sissel's debut in the long format.
- DirectorSissel Morell Dargis
- ScreenplaySissel Morell Dargis
- Cinematography
- Cast
- Editing Biel Andrés, Rikke Selin Als, Isabela Monteiro de Castro, Steen Johannessen, Sissel Morell Dargis
- Producer/s Jesper Jack, Marie Schmidt, Olesen Sissel, Morell Dargis
- Production Company
- Distributor/sCargo Film and Releasing Sales Agent
- Project TitleBalomania
- Project TypeFiction
- Completion Date 1 January 2024
- Country of originDenmark
- Country of filmingDenmark
- Language
- First-time Filmmaker No
- Student ProjectNo
Sissel Morell Dargis
Sissel Morell Dargis is a Danish film director, graffiti painter and game director born to Lithuanian and Spanish parents in Copenhagen. Sissel has lived in several Latin American countries and spent the longest time in Brazil, where she studied multimedia and communication in São Paulo. She also worked as a freelance photographer, and at the age of 19 started a social project for young people in the Rocinha favela in Rio de Jainero, using art and cross-media tools to campaign for social changes. After leaving Brazil, Sissel continued to study documentary filmmaking at EICTV in Cuba. From here she graduated in 2018 with the short film PLASTICO, which was shown at a number of festivals and won the 'Opening Scenes Award' at Visions du Réel. Sissel has since trained as a game and animation director from The National Film School of Denmark, where she graduated with the indie game CAI CAI BALAO, also set in Brazil's secret world of hot air balloon makers. The game was nominated for 'Best Student Game' at IGF 2022 and exhibited at the Smithsonian Arts Museum, and has recently won Best Game and Best Impact Game at Games of Change, and exhibited at Copenhagen Gaming Week 2024. The new version of the game for mobile is under development. This is Sissel's debut in the long format.
