Artist Hanaé Sanchez has created a compelling multimedia project that combines experimental filmmaking with print design to explore themes of dual heritage and family connections. The project, titled "At Last," consists of a short film paired with an accompanying zine, representing the culmination of her studies in moving image at the University of the Arts London (UAL).
Sanchez, who completed her A-Levels and a foundation year in fine art in France before pursuing her UAL degree, admits she finds it difficult to describe herself. However, through creating this multi-disciplinary work, she discovered how deeply her identity, background, and artistic practice are interconnected. The project serves as her attempt to reconnect with her Khmer, Southeast Asian, and Cambodian heritage while transforming personal frustration into creative expression.
The experimental film blends phantasmagorical animation with soft black-and-white live action footage, creating what Sanchez describes as a cerebral thriller. The narrative follows a man who falls in and out of fractal, cobalt dreams, with monochrome visuals featuring South Asian furniture and decorations that blur into grays, symbolizing the protagonist's ignored personal history. "At its core, the work is about connecting with a parent in that unspoken, unconditional way, and about daring to take the past into your own hands in order to bend destiny," Sanchez explains.
The film's artistic approach deliberately challenges contemporary expectations of instant communication. "Some might see the film as slightly experimental, especially in a world of instantaneity where you're expected to get your point across in seconds. But for me, that's precisely the point: the past, though unchangeable, is always being rewritten in the present," she notes. The protagonist's chaotic inner world is expressed through quick cuts, sinister string music, and heightened ambient sounds, while spectral animations maintain distance between the viewer and the narrative, emphasizing the film's arthouse influences.
Sanchez's passion for storytelling stems from childhood experiences with both fairy tales and family histories. "Ever since I was a child, I've craved a good story," she says. "Both the ones starting with 'once upon a time,' which gave me that magical realism and fable-like element that seems to seep into every one of my projects, and then the epic secrets, the juicy family tales passed down on both sides of my family – of which there are plenty."
The accompanying zine serves as a physical extension of the film's visual language, featuring checkered patterns, stark blue pages, comic illustrations, and collage work. This mixture of aesthetics mirrors the extra-sensory drama present in the film. According to Sanchez's website, "The many patterns and ornamented pages are a reinterpretation of traditional Khmer motifs, often found on silk skirts, woven floor mats, and other elements of interior design in Khmer homes." The publication includes a warbled typeface, cosmic patterns, and ocular maze works designed to create visual disorientation, offering a bold interpretation of nostalgia, diaspora, and familial relationships. The zine even includes a short crossword puzzle as an interactive element.
Experimentation formed the foundation of both components of Sanchez's project, teaching her that "art has no rules but the ones you impose yourself." During the creation process, she explored various techniques including rotoscopy and stop motion animation, finding joy in both successes and failures. This approach helped her regain what she describes as child-like wonder and excitement, not only in the project's completion but throughout the entire creative journey.
The project represents Sanchez's decision to take creative control rather than wait for external validation. "I grew tired of waiting for someone else to decide whether my project was worthy of being made. So I channeled my heroes and the DIY kid I still very much am," she concludes. Through "At Last," Sanchez demonstrates how personal heritage and contemporary artistic practice can merge to create meaningful, experimental work that challenges conventional storytelling methods while honoring cultural roots.
