How did you start this project. How long did it take from the initial idea to have it finished?

I started the project back in 2014. I had the idea for a scene that was made to be for the stage. It was 4 pages long. Then I went back to it and wanted to write it as a small sketch for internet. I put it aside knowing that I would get back to it to make a short film with the purpose to show it to film festivals while I was working on different plays and improv back in Chicago. Then, when I moved back to Europe, with the help of my producer Phil McCarron and my wife, I took a look at the script during Covid and finished it and decided to start the production. When the script was finished it took me about a year to start shooting. So it started as a small project in 2014 and the final version was ready in March 2023.

 

Has it been a self-financed project or did you find private financing?

It is a self-financed project with the help of my wife, my family, friends and myself.

 

Many filmmakers finance the entire project, finishing it in their spare time while studying or working etc. This makes it a very wear-and-tear process and takes a long time to finish. Even many of these projects never end up being assembled. In your case, how has the process been?

I wanted the project to be mine from start to finish so I was lucky to get the help financially from my close ones.

 

At what point is the project in terms of festivals? Tell us a little about your experience in festivals and what you expect from festivals for this project.

We won many awards in different film festivals such as best short film, best director, best actress, best actor, best short script, best cinematography and best editing. There is not much to say about the experience because everything was done via emails for the notifications from the festivals beside one in London who was live. It is great to have your work being recognized by judges but a bit disappointed in the fact that I was hopping to make connections with this film with people who work in the industry and hoping to find some acting work. 

 

Tell us the best moment and the worst experienced during the process of finishing the project.

The best moment is definitely the moment when you start shooting a project that you really care about and love very much. I’m an actor before being a director and having rehearsals and the feeling that something good is happening is the best feeling. Also one of the best part was to be able to work with a very passionate and professional crew. They gave me their trust to put my vision to life and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make it without them! They were all amazing and worked very fast even with the distance because we did a lot of planning via phone calls because I live in Brussels and we shot in Chicago. When I arrived we had one week to plan the shooting with the location we found and 3 nights to shoot during the second week. 

 

The worst part was the end of the shooting because even if I knew that we did a great job thanks to them, I was sad to leave Chicago and not being able to shoot more. So the saddest part was the fact that we were not on set anymore. 

 

Do you have any other project in mind? If so, can you tell us something?

I do have another short in mind. It’s a road trip with 4 characters but I can’t say more about it.

 

What do you expect from a film festival? Where do you think they should improve?

I wish there was more connection between filmmakers to be made from the festivals. More networking would be amazing with the showing of short films and being able to talk about it and meet people from the industry. That’s where I believe they should improv and not just saying you’re nominated or you’re a winner at our film festival congrats. 

 

Now we would like to know more about you.

 

How did you start in the cinema?

I felt in love with movies when I was 5. I saw my first live action film. It was Jurassic Park and I wanted to be on the screen. Since then, I’ve been watching a lot of movies and I still do. It’s a real passion. Bertolucci said that cinema is like a church where everybody goes the share the same passion and I couldn’t agree more. 

When I turn 18 I moved to Paris to do a cinema school who has an acting program. Then I got a degree in theatre. When I turn 25, I moved to Chicago where I was lucky to be casted in a show after my first audition at Second City and it was the beginning of everything other there. I was able to be on stage every week doing acting or improv. That’s where I started directing as well on a web series that we created after a show that is called Love rules. In 2018 with my friend Phil McCarron, he created is own production company and I directed the short film Ghosts in the ink that he wrote who did very well in film festivals as well and it was my first production with a bigger budget that I had to direct. He helped me produce Can you hurry and I’m sure that we will collaborate again in the future. 

 

How do you define yourself as a filmmaker? Your best virtue and your worst flaw?

I defined myself as someone who really love cinema almost more than anything besides my wife and my son. The fact that I’m an actor, I love working with them and connection is everything. I love shooting on location and having great characters development. I’m also in life someone who avoids conflict so I’ll define myself as a filmmaker who knows how to talk to actors and crew respectfully with trying to have a peaceful great time on set and also being open minded to other people ideas on set. 

My best virtue I’ll say that I’m open minded and I listen to everybody’s ideas when it comes to shoot and my worst flaw is that I’m very picky during the editing process and I know that I can be annoying to the editor. 

 

What percentage do you dedicate to?

-Production/location: 80%/10%

-Work with actors:100%

-Planning of the shots with the director of photography:hard to answer because he understood what I wanted right away, followed the direction I gave him and on set we were consulting each other many times so I’ll go 80% the director of photography and 20% me

-Art/costume: 50% 

-Sound design: 0% I trusted my sound guy

-Editing: 40% to direct the editor to put the scenes in the right order and he did the rest and the director of photography did the color grading 

-Soundtrack:10% I just gave the inspiration and the composer did the rest 

 

Tell me three favorite movies

Schindler’s list 

The godfather 1 and 2 

One flew other the cuckoo’s nest

 

And directors?

Steven Spielberg 

Alejandro Gonzales Iñàrritu

Christopher Nolan 

Fritz Lang 

Martin Scorsese 

Charles Chaplin 

Ridley Scott 

Denis Villeneuve 

Jacques Audiard 

Francis Ford Coppola 

And many more 

 

For you, a good movie should have:

A great script, great acting and directing with great cinematography.