PANAS

“Panas” is a traditional Sardinian myth, that takes place in a timeless past.

Panas was the name given to for women who died in child birth, a kind of death considered impure in the past. Legend has it, these women were condemned to stay on Earth for 7 years as a spirit, washing the clothes of their newborn on a river every night. The only way to free their souls was to get close to them and without looking in their eyes, start washing in their place.

This myth was orally communicated from elders to children for many generations, so as it often happens, the details of the story change from mouth to mouth. For this reason, I kept the core of the myth and wrote a story channeling the strong bond between a mom and her daughter.

Every scene is animated in the traditional way, frame by frame, on paper and then scanned and colored digitally. The production took one year from concept to final product and the music was recorded with live instruments in Sardinia.