Film Craft > Production

DANTE'S HEARTBEATS

ABBY PRIEST, Stockholm / THE HEARTCHILD FOUNDATION / 2021

Awards:

Shortlisted Cannes Lions
CampaignCampaignLayout(opens in a new tab)
MP3 Original Language
Demo Film
Supporting Images

Overview

Credits

Overview

Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

Filmed in black-and-white, the non-linear action takes place at a crossroads. Chest scarred from CHD surgery, a boy dances madly in the street as scenes of his tumultuous young life flash around him, creating a visual poem that ripples with his parent's fear, anxiety, and hope. In the end, he drops to the ground as his young heart simply can’t dance anymore.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

"Heartbeats" is an iconic song originally written and created by Swedish electronic music duo the Knife. It was released on 27 December 2002 and became one of the most recognizable songs in modern Swedish musical history. Also, a massive global hit, listed by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 songs of the 2000s.

Listen to the original song by The Knife on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3JCN5HiBJhkVEcmNejd7Mx?si=3971be92335245f9

In 2006, Argentinian-Swedish singer-songwriter José González covered the song with an acoustic classical guitar. The cover gained international recognition and kicked off his career. It was featured in a now-legendary Sony Bravia commercial with colorful balls bouncing down the streets of San Fransisco.

Listen to José González version on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/11X4Gw3T4hoktVruLgTnm1?si=4a2ab53b81ab4b6c

Tell the jury about the choice of music track.

"Heartbeats" is an iconic song originally written and created by electronic music duo the Knife. In our new version, the song, performed by indie band Amason, is powered by a one-year-old´s defected heartbeat. The band, led by lead singer Amanda Bergman, featuring Pontus Winnberg (producer for Britney Spears and Madonna) sampled Dante’s heartbeat in a music studio using a wireless Bluetooth stethoscope. The samples were mastered to function as the beat in the song and were overlayed with evocative soundscapes and Amanda's voice. While the original lyrics are a tale about lovers' passion, here they are given new meaning. Lines like ”One night to push and scream” become about childbirth, ”The colors red and blue” about ambulance sirens and whether you’re religious or not, the line ”Asking for help from above, to lean on, wouldn’t be good enough” sends a clear message - these children need your help.

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