In case there was any doubt that 2024 is Zoe Saldaña‘s year, poignant short film “Dovecote” has cemented the multi-hyphenate talent’s place at the top of Hollywood.
Saldaña produces and stars in the short film from visual artist and filmmaker Marco Perego, who is also her partner in real-life. The visually stunning “Dovecote” centers on a women’s prison where Saldaña’s character spends her final hours before being released. “Dovecote” was filmed at a prison in Giudecca on an island in the Venetian lagoon. Saldaña co-starred alongside 20 real inmates who are serving time.
“If you’re going to tell a story or create a concept around this institution, it could not have happened for us if it wasn’t collaborating with the women [who lived there],” Saldaña told IndieWire about taking a verité approach to the project. “Once we received their permission, then it was about having conversations with them about how much of themselves they wanted to share with us off-camera. We earned their trust.”
“Dovecote” was exhibited at the 60th Venice Biennale as part of the Vatican Pavilion. Writer/director Perego was one of seven artists invited to present their pieces; Perego opted to conceptualize the collaboration with the Giudecca prison on film instead of crafting a sculpture or a painting, as Perego explained to IndieWire.
“Working very closely with all of these inmates was a very special experience,” Perego said. “It was quite incredible and it was something extremely special for us [to work together]. I tried to tell the truth about these inmates and these women and we interviewed them, we sat down with them, we really spoke with them. It was something that was very spiritual. It was an honor for us.”
Perego added that filming was “very hard,” though, as the whole short film was shot on location in just five days. Perego traveled to Venice with his co-writer Alex Delis to meet with the inmates as part of pre-production and create a story about “what freedom really is.” During the research process, Perego discovered that “these women can come back, go and come back, and it’s all a part of this cycle.” He was inspired to include that arc onscreen.
“I really wanted to portray this and show the resilience of these women,” he said.
The incarcerated women also gave Perego letters throughout production to share more of their own stories.
“Marco would come back to the hotel with his pockets and his bag filled with letters and small keepsakes that they had made for us,” Saldaña said. “We would read their letters because they felt compelled to write them and they trusted us enough to tell their stories. It was the least we could have done. We wanted to know who they are. All that they asked was that we featured them and we tell their story, and that was quite moving for us.”
Saldaña added that part of the research included working with U.S.-based prison reform non-profits. One organization emphasized that “99 percent of these women in prison were abused by men.” But while in jail, “there’s a community and they can be seen” by their fellow women.
“Dovecote” screened at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. Since Saldaña has drawn massive acclaim for her lead turn in France’s Oscar submission, Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” the “Dovecote” team is pulling double duty with awards campaigns.
“We believe in the project so much and we feel so encouraged with just, like, the reception that Marco has been receiving,” Saldaña said about the short film.
“Dovecote” filmmaker Perego is also making his feature directorial debut with “The Absence of Eden,” which will be executive produced by Martin Scorsese. The Academy Library Museum acquired the film’s screenplay to be part of the museum’s permanent collection. Perego will also launch an art installation at the Capsule of Centre Pompidou-Metz in 2025.
“I’m just very, very speechless,” Perego said of his career, “and now I’m very focused on ‘Dovecote’ and see if it will resonate with audiences and give a voice to these women.”
Check out the trailer for “Dovecote” below.
