Photo by Tosha Gaines.
Filmmaker SI Reasoning
Filmmaker SI Reasoning’s experimental series “The Encarne Trilogy” — a surreal exploration of creativity through sound, light and improvisation — earned international acclaim after being embraced by film festivals abroad, including a top honor in Paris.
When Vestavia Hills resident and filmmaker SI Reasoning began submitting one of his latest works to festivals, he expected very little.
American festivals rejected the project again and again, but then festivals in Paris, Sicily, Bangkok and London embraced it, honoring the film series, and helped him see its value in a new light.
In particular, the Around International Film Festival in Paris chose Reasoning’s work as the best experimental film of 2025.
The project, called “The Encarne Trilogy,” is a film series that serves as a surrealist investigation into the subconscious, nature and the creative process through free improvisation, particularly within the context of cave environments.
The project focuses on “painting with sound and light” and exploring the potential of human creativity through unscripted artistic expression.
The films feature various artists and musicians, utilizing improvisational music, automatic line drawings and performance art, often filmed in locations like the Boulder Canyon Nature Trail and caves in Alabama.
Reasoning discovered his love for filmmaking long before he ever touched a camera. As a young viewer, he was drawn into the strange and emotional worlds of David Lynch. Those films never guided the audience or tried to explain anything. They simply placed viewers inside a dream and trusted them to find their own meaning. Later, Reasoning felt that same sense of wonder in “Kurosawa’s Dreams,” where everyday moments became visual poetry. These early encounters shaped the way Reasoning understands art and storytelling.
For Reasoning, filmmaking is not about rules or structure. It is about feeling his way through a moment and trusting the images to speak for themselves. “The Encarne Trilogy” grew from years of improvised performances, surreal festivals, personal memories and unexpected creativity. He filmed with different cameras during different seasons of life, and in time the story revealed itself. He simply followed where it led.
Through it all, Reasoning finds his greatest joy in filming real and honest moments. That is where his magic begins.
