UNTIL DEATH DO US PART, 15min., USA
Directed by Joseph Kandov
A wife’s dark secret unravels late one night, binding her husband to an intense conversation that may take a turn for the worst.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I thought of the opening scene first. It sort of came to me, and I thought it was a killer opening for a story, but I wasn’t sure what I’d use it for at that moment, be it a feature or short film, an episode of a series, ect. I just knew I had an awesome opening that could be used for something, so I wrote it down and put it away until I figured out what to do with it. Over time, as I went back to it and thought about where the opening could go, how it could be used, ect. I had more ideas come to me such as the ending. And after I had the opening and ending figured out, I knew it could be something special, and decided that a short film format for the story would best for the time being, with the potential to become a feature length should the story garner significant interest from audiences. From there, I slowly but surely fleshed out the remainder of the story that would connect the opening and closing scenes.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

From concept to finished product, it took several years.

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

Thought-provoking and haunting!

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle for me were budgetary restrictions

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

My reaction was quite a surreal and moving experience. To see people react so positively, give such great commentary on aspects of the storytelling (much of which I fully intended with the film, so I was ecstatic to see that it came across successfully!), give their own perspective on the themes, depth, and substance, which were all quite fascinating, and ultimately give unanimously fantastic ratings, was such an exciting joy and something I truly appreciated. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from people when I came up with this story, and how they’d react to it, as it’s quite a dark, intense story with a subject matter that very few would find uplifting lol. So I was a bit nervous when thinking of the feedback I might get. But to see people truly enjoy it for what it is as much as they did, and find it powerful and thought-provoking, despite its darkness, was more than I could’ve hoped for and I’m extremely humbled and grateful for the feedback.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I realized my love and passion for filmmaking during my high school years, and thus, seriously decided to pursue it professionally upon finishing high school and choosing to attend Digital Film Academy afterward to learn the art of filmmaking.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Hmmm, it’s quite tough to pin down what film I’ve “actually” watched the most, but I’d say the top most viewed content that I can recall is the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Dark Knight, and Bad Boys 2. For pure entertainment value, I think I “low-key” watched Bad Boys 2 a bit more than the rest lol.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

The festival circuit experience has been quite an interesting one, as I’ve never really taken part in it as much with my previous projects. With most of my previous work, the producers I’ve worked with were the ones that were more active in the festival process and pushing our projects through, ect. But because I was my own main producer this time around, you could say this is really my first time dealing with festivals directly. Wildsound has been fantastic with its communication, credibility, and results, so those things are very much to your credit! But I’d say that some elements that could certainly improve for many festivals, are first of all, legitimacy. Letting filmmakers know exactly how official the festival is with multiple links and avenues of credibility, videos and testimonials from festival events, attendees, sponsors, ect. Because I’ve found many festivals I’ve come across that lack these factors, and it makes filmmakers like myself who do their due diligence slightly suspicious of whether it’s a legit festival worth submitting to and not just one masquerading as such to make money. Second is transparency, which ties into the legitimacy factor. A lot of festivals aren’t so clear about the behind the scenes aspect, such as people running the event, who the judges are, the selection process, the types of content they’re looking for, ect. Either they don’t have much information on the actual people running the show, or choose to keep those things hidden, and I think filmmakers have a right to have access to all that information, so they can determine if the festival is operated by efficient, credible people and that their project will be in good hands. If a festival intentionally preys on naive filmmakers, then these are all red flags they give off, but if they are a good festival with nothing to hide, then they need to make a bit more effort to have easily accessible aspects of verification for all submitter curiosities. The last thing, and this is something Wildsound has done wonderfully which is again, to your credit, would probably be a better social and networking aspect that a lot of festivals can try to muster to make it more worthwhile for submitters. Things like mixers, chat groups (which Wildsound offered to my most pleasant surprise!) and general events or ways for filmmakers to come in contact with each other and make connections, other than the “show up to the festival to network” deal. Sometimes, filmmakers can’t attend for whatever reason, and if a festival doesn’t have other roads of networking, then they basically missed the only shot they had to connect with other creatives that attended. But if the festival made an effort to have ways of connecting and networking other than just having to physically attend, then filmmakers/creatives would see it as a more attractive opportunity to submit. So those three things are what I’d say could be improved for a lot of festivals I found. This is the example here, that Wildsound was pleasantly refreshing in these aspects, and it made me want to choose to submit to the festival.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

This ties a bit into my previous answer I think. Filmfreeway is incredibly convenient as a crossroads for submitters to festivals. But some of the issues I mentioned remain. I don’t know how much the site can do to address them really, but as far as convenience goes, it’s been a great tool for a first timer! The communication and ease of use are all great, and there are a few things about the site that are quite fun such as the congratulatory notes they send you when your film has been selected. All in all, using the site has been a good and user-friendly experience so far.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I don’t have a favorite, but I certainly gravitate toward Sushi and Italian cuisines.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Yes. I’m currently writing the script for my next film, which will be a feature. Other than that, I have a series I’m developing, and ideas for more films and even a few documentaries. A potential for a feature length version of Until Death Do Us Part is also a possibility down the road 😉

MATTER!, 26min, France
Directed by Samuel Feron
It tells of the disappearance of Nothingness, the appearance of Matter and its confrontation with Man and with time. it is punctuated by a textual narrative and accompanied by Archive music.

http://www.cubicsfer.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I’ve been photographing the world for over 20 years. I’ve amassed tens of thousands of photographs. One day, I thought it would be exciting to give the photographs a dimension they’ve never had before: a dynamic flow, in which they could blend, flow together, and overlap. A kind of ballet, where the viewer would be immersed, even if unwillingly, drawn into a visual, poetic, and musical story.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take you to make this film?

Well, it all depends on when you start! The oldest photographs in this film date back to 2005, so that’s 20 years ago. However, the idea for the film came to me much later, two years ago. It took me a year of work to make it happen: imagining and writing a story, selecting the photographs, researching the music, and – this is what took most of the time – working on the sequences again and again, in order to ensure the balance between the necessarily static dimension (by definition) of a photograph and the objective of going beyond this static framework to bring movement.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced while making this film?

Making a film from photographs is a real challenge: initially, there’s no dialogue, no actors, no movement. The visual, and therefore the photographs, occupy a central place. But that’s not enough to make a film. You have to invent a story, create it from these images, without the help of people who carry it, develop it, and convey it. So I imagined a character based on an entity, both real and mystical, all-powerful yet malleable and vulnerable, and gave it the attributes of anger and fear.

There was a second major difficulty: like any photographer, I tend to consider that a photograph is sufficient in itself and that the viewer must be able to look at it without time limit. However, the film breaks this personal contemplative space to impose its own reading rhythm. And this is precisely where the problem lies: how, in a film, to give time for photographic contemplation, which moreover depends on each individual, while ensuring that the viewer accepts being interrupted in his reverie or meditation. To do this, it is necessary to impose a rhythm that will be accepted by the viewer, and this rhythm is that of the music, which is why it is so important. I am aware that there are images that are perhaps too quickly caught up in the music, but that was a bit of a price to pay for carrying out this project.

The characters in the film possess a completely extraordinary singularity. What can you say about that?

My photographs speak of nature and the world, and therefore of Matter, which constitutes the main entity. Speaking of it and its birth meant evoking Nothingness, which, paradoxically, was initially anything but nothing, except when it decided… to disappear!

Then, Time appears, and we understand that there will be conflict between these two colossal, all-powerful, and fundamentally antagonistic entities. At first glance, the battle seems unequal because Matter is under assault from Time and can barely exert any control over it; yet, Matter cannot disappear because otherwise, Time would have nothing to exert its control over and would therefore no longer exist.

The other character is Man, not as an individual, but as a species, dominating and invasive. What happens when he considers himself superior to the Matter from which he is descended? How does Matter react? As a demiurge, has it given birth to an out-of-control creature? This is the whole point of Scene 4.

We are intrigued by the epilogue, and in particular the very last image. What message, what meaning does it conceal?

I wouldn’t want to reveal the final part of the film… Let’s just say that at a certain stage in the evolution of Matter, the question of its ultimate future and its place in the world arises. A new character is invoked, appearing in the background, who takes on the role of a spiritual dimension, proposing paths that can be understood as a break with the density and hyper-presence of Matter, an attempt and an invitation to explore the beyond, in a completely unknown direction.

What role does music play in the film? Why did you choose the English band Archive?

Music is essential in a photographic film: the images must follow one another according to a precise rhythm, in keeping with the story. But also and above all, the musical universe, its harmonies, its melodies must correspond to the photographic universe of the film. Archive stood out for its musical creativity, its ability to imagine unique melodies accompanied by exceptional instrumentation, and its rich and powerful atmosphere. I chose pieces that corresponded to the themes and scenes of the film: dramatic and explosive, melancholic and contemplative, mystical and dreamlike.

Your favorite dish?

Scallops with black Périgord truffle. In it, I find the ocean and the power of the Earth.

What is your next project, your next film?

I think that photographic film brings a specificity, an originality, a different perspective, and has its place in the experimental film category; it seems important to me to develop this new trend. I’m thinking about a new theme, a new story, combining different photographs and different music. I’d also like to create partnerships with musicians because I believe that photography and music, when skillfully combined, bring the viewer a heightened sense of emotion.