TOPOS

TOPOS (5min 45sec) is my fifth film and first experimental short, shot across the hills & coastlines of Calabria and the hairpin roads of the Greek island of Crete. 

Intimately blending poetry and moving image, TOPOS is a voyage to the ancestral lands of the Mediterranean — capturing its physical and spiritual topographies as they become animated with the voices of the past, and as a traveller reflects on their ties to her heritage and personal history. 

TOPOS feels like the purest project I’ve ever done. My initial intention was to capture the landscapes of my ancestors as they spoke to me in real time — what emerged was a very personal vignette somewhere between a memory, a dream and a meditation, exploring the profound connection between land, ancestry, memory, grief, wholeness and integration.

I wanted this film to spark dialogue around the deeper layers of our relationships with place, the impact of disconnection from our roots, and the powerful possibilities for reconnection and integration that lie in the landscapes that await us.

Read more about the background to the film in this personal essay for Antlers.

CREDITS

Written, directed, shot and edited by Issabella Orlando
Produced by Aetia Studio
Colour by Conor Tychowski
Music & Sound Design by J.E. Dufton
Vocals by Bethan Jones

PRESS

Mubi
Filmotomy - coming soon
The Reel Girls Club Podcast
I’m Intrigued Podcast

AWARDS & EVENTS

Best Non-Fiction, Innovart Film Festival – July 2025
Official Selection, Femme Filmmakers Festival - September 2025

Screening with Pink Noise - October 2025
Screening & Poetry Performance with Oxford Poetry Library - September 2025
Screening & Essay Reading with Antlers - August 2025
Screening & Roundtable Discussion with Reference Point - June 2025
Screening & Q+A, Bad Gal Film Club - May 2025
Screening & Q+A, Film Tottenham - May 2025