MANUAL TRANSMISSION

The Rolex Arts Weekend showcased the magic that ensues when an inter-generational cultivation of the arts results in the nurturing of a global creative family. In this Southeast Asian exclusive, Charmaine Ho chats with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Agustina San Martin while in Brooklyn.

"Good job and good job spending Rolex's money," says LinManuel Miranda to his protégé, Argentinian filmmaker Agustina San Martín, right after the premiere of her mini documentary, Childhood Echoes, as the room breaks out in appreciative chuckles. Honestly, his little jest was a much-needed emotional release from the poignant rollercoaster ride that Martín had just taken us on.

Centred on the memories and feelings conjured up by the favourite songs of childhood, the intimate short film depicts how Martín's interviewees progress from shy awkwardness to natural confidence as they let us into their minds and hearts, moving the audience to laughter and tears. Yet, this short doco is more than just a film. (For the past two years, Miranda and Martín have worked together under the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative's newly created Open Category as requested by Miranda.) Projected onto three screens, positioned one in front of another, the black-and-white footage exudes a mesmerising, dream-like holographic quality that is enhanced by visuals of swirling smoke, beams of light and an evocative music score.

Part art installation, part film, Childhood Echoes kicked off the Rolex Arts Weekend, the two-day mini- arts festival that was held at various Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) venues and it raised the bar for what audiences could expect from the other mentor-protégé pairings under the 20202022 instalment of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.