Lucid Space explores the power of dreams to free us from the confines imposed on us by society. The film follows a woman as she encounters misogyny and mundanity in her day-to-day life. In the mirror she sees only distortions of her true self – reflected back at her are all the labels that have been thrust upon her by others. One day, she visits a strange place in her dreams and begins to regain control of her life.

Geanderson Mello, Mio Sakamoto (Directors)

Geanderson Mello is a queer contemporary dancer and choreographer based in Toronto-ON. He is originally from Brazil. He studied dance at Centro de Formação Artistica (Palácio das Artes) and classical ballet at the Brazilian Conservatory of Dance. Looking to grow as a dance artist, he began his modern dance education at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, where he graduated in 2017. Through The School, he has worked with Allen Kaeja, Paul-Andrè Fortier, Sasha Ivanohko, Kate Alton, Sharon B. Moore, Mark Boivin, Christopher House, and more renowned choreographers. In 2018 he attended the B12-Research or Die, in Berlin, Germany. He had the opportunity to learn from Iztok Kovač, Francisco Córdova, Olivia Ancona & Scott Jennings. He performed selected En-knap Composing Principles by Iztok Kovač. In 2019, he performed a piece by Roberto Olivan through Alias Dance Project.

Geanderson has been collaborating with Kaeja d’Dance since 2018. In 2022, he performed at TORQUE (International Contemporary Dance Series) the piece “I am the Child of…” by Allen Kaeja in their production 31 (a collaboration between Kaeja d’Dance and Vertical City Performance presented by Harbourfront Centre).

Geanderson, along with Mio Sakamoto, is the co-director of MillO Dance Projects, founded in 2020. In December 2021, they successfully launched a series of short dance film screenings called Nightfall. Over the past 3 years, they have also produced 5 dance films (Where Do We Go?, The Things We Say, Bad Apple, reverie, Lucid Space) and 1 live performance (Canvas, in collaboration with muralists ALFALFA and PUPILA). Their dance films have been presented at film festivals worldwide and gained multiple awards.

Mio Sakamoto is a Toronto based dance artist from Japan. She is a dancer, choreographer, dance educator and Co-Founder of MillO Dance Projects.

Mio has performed (selected) Crépuscule by Marie-Josée Chartier at dance: made in canada/fait au canada, October Sky by Paul-André Fortier at Nuit Blanche, Mani.Deux by Northfoot Movement at Fall For Dance North, TouchX and I am the Child of… by Kaeja d’Dance at Harbourfront Theatre Centre as part of Torque International Contemporary Dance Series 2022. In 2023, she performed Miigis: Underwater Panther by Red Sky Performance which premiered at Canadian Stage.

Her choreographic works (selected), Submerge, Lucid Space (dance film), Systematic, Oblivious or Naive, and Cater To You, were presented in Canada, Brazil, Slovenia, Germany and Japan. She was also Kaeja Elevation Choreography Assistant for the Wendy & Peter Pan production of the Stratford Festival in 2019/2020.

In 2020, she received the RBC Newcomer Arts Award by Neighbourhood Arts Network – Toronto Arts Foundation. In 2021, she was selected for the first year-long Artist in Residence of Kaeja d’Dance.

Geanderson Mello Director
Mio Sakamoto Director
Geanderson Mello and Mio Sakamoto Writer
Mio Sakamoto Dancer
Justin Kielly Videographer
MillO Dance Projects Producer
Kristian Fourier and Beata Rasitsan Mentors