The music of Erich Zann, 15min., Hungary
Directed by Dóra Barbara Sánta
The story features the figure of a silent old man who feverishly plays the violin in his attic room every night to stave off some unimaginable horror, which is not explained at the end of the novel. The story is told from the perspective of a student who moves into the same building as the musician for a short time. The young man wants to find out the history of the scary-sounding music and asks the musician to play it for him and also to explain the curtained attic room window, which visibly upsets the musician. In the end, the student pulls the curtain and flees from the building in fear and never finds the street where he used to live. We will never really know or understand the explanation for everything.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’ve always liked dark psychological horror films where you can’t clearly describe the monster and what’s causing the tension. I think it’s much scarier when you can’t see the monster and don’t name what you see behind the curtain. I’m originally an architect, but I’ve always been interested in how films are made, especially the sets. Halfway through my one-year film training (after architecture), I decided I wanted to adapt an existing short story, so I chose this.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I made the decision at the end of January that I wanted to adapt this short story. That’s when the script writing began. In mid-February I started preparing and organizing the team. In April I set four days of filming. The post-production had to be completed by the end of May and there was a private screening in the cinema in mid-June. It was a total of 4 months of work.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Terrifying mystery

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
I had to fill a lot of positions at once, which was very exhausting, especially since I financed it out of my own pocket. Besides that, twice during the shooting they almost called the police on us (even though we had permission).

5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Development – world planning

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
They asked us a question at the beginning of the year in film school, who would like to direct at the end of the year. I applied, I didn’t know how to do it, but it sounded adventurous.

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
Harry Potter series

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro – production design

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Unfortunately, I’m not a great marketing person, the interface was easy to use, but I must admit that organizing a festival at your own expense is an expensive hobby.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Vegan lentil stew

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I am currently working as a set designer on international films from Budapest (Hungary). I would like to gain more experience and save some money before starting on a new project. But I already have some ideas in mind.