Shorts
Reviews, previews and highlights of features and shorts from the myDylarama team and guest writers.
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The Place That Is Ours - Zena Agha & Dorothy Allen-Pickard
13 September 2022, by Abla Kandalaft, Brasserie du Court teamWe interviewed the duo for the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival, as part of the Brasserie Du Court. A daughter returns to her father’s village in Palestine, which was destroyed in 1948. She journeys through unfamiliar landscapes and is confronted with the reality of her own exile. The film is a moving, experimental and exhaustively researched journey into the displacement and lack of rootedness faced by Palestinians worldwide. It’s an impressive first effort from the two (...) -
Interview with Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Sonzini, co-directors of Mi Última Aventura (My Last Adventure)
6 July 2022, by Clotilde Couturier, Elise LoiseauA poor young man decides to cease to be so, and along with his friend, he tries to flee with a bag full of money from his boss. The last night in his hometown is the two friend’s review, in the form of a farewell, of the places, the emotion and the songs that marked their lives. What was the starting point of the film? The starting point was partly a preliminary work by Ezequiel Salinas, Adieu à la nuit, where a mysterious character rides his moped through the night. In this short (...) -
Interview with Annette Westwood, director of This Little Girl
21 June 2022, by Alma, carrieA mother with a substance misuse issue, has to prove herself on her path to recovery, to prevent her child from being taken away from her and placed into care. We chat here with director Annette Westwood. Where did the idea come from? Can you tell us a bit about your relationship or collaboration with Trevi? THIS LITTLE GIRL was inspired by the amazing work of Trevi, a women’s & children’s charity & their unique residential rehabilitation centre. Their centre is one of the last (...) -
Interview wih Katherine Propper, director of Birds
11 May 2022, by Brasserie du Court team, Elise LoiseauMoments in the lives of Austin teenagers in the heat of Texas summer. How was Birds born? I wanted to make this film, in part, to explore my creative process. My last short film involved a local community of young people whom I spent time with and worked with to make a film about their world. Birds expands on that approach more deeply. This film is more improvised, more off-the-cuff and observational, blurring the lines of doc and narrative in a way that was new for me. It was also my (...) -
Interview with Sander Joon, director of Sierra
29 April 2022, by Elise LoiseauParents often push their children to follow their steps. In this case, the father’s obsession with the rally turns the kid into a car tire. Loosely inspired by the director’s childhood, Sierra takes us into the surreal car racing world. What inspired you to make Sierra, an animation film that deals with the pressures parents can put on their children? After talking to my friends and acquaintances I found that the pressure from their parents to choose the “right career” is quite (...) -
Interview with Simon London, director of That Workman’s Arm
6 March 2022, by Abla Kandalaft, Brasserie du Court teamWhat motivated you to tell the story of these two characters? What did you want to explore through their relationship? I was interested in telling a story about understanding. I wanted to bring two characters together who might see each other in a unique and forgiving way, even though they have been pitted against each other by a situation they didn’t create. It’s an exploration of human connection despite circumstance and the vulnerabilities we all have. I’m also really interested in (...) -
Interview with Janloup Bernard, director of J’avais un camarade [I Had a Comrade]
27 February 2022, by Abla Kandalaft, Brasserie du Court teamUpon his arrival at a prestigious military high school, Woyzeck, an officer’s son, meets Bakary, a student from a modest background with whom he will share a room. During a night of integration, the two boys will try to find their place in the Family, a group of influential students. Why did you choose a military school as the setting for your story? Is it an environment that you know well? In my previous short films, I have already explored exclusively male environments. In choosing a (...) -
Interview with Geordy Couturiau, director of La Flûte enchantée [The Magic Flute]
23 February 2022, by Abla Kandalaft, Brasserie du Court teamWhile he is overwhelmed by his debts and coping with his dying mother, Arnaud meets Momo, a magician from his neighborhood with unusual and mischievous behavior. This meeting will not ward off bad luck, quite the contrary. But perhaps the discovery of an old flute may be the solution to all their problems and change their destiny? Tell us a bit about Momo and Arnaud. Are they based on people you know in real life? The character Arnaud gets his name from a close friend of mine, Arnaud (...) -
Interview with Ingrid Chikhaoui, director of Trois grains de gros sel [Three Grains of Coarse Salt]
21 February 2022, by Brasserie du Court teamTwo sisters, aged 5 and 8, hang out alone at home in the middle of the countryside. Elsa, the youngest, swallows three grains of coarse salt. Judith announces to her that she’s doomed to a death by desiccation, and she only has a few hours to live. The mother returns, behaving ardently and feverishly, and turns the family’s destiny upside down. Is it fair to describe Trois grains de gros sel as a coming-of-age story? Do the two children come into their own? The film is about what it’s (...) -
Interview with Lauriane Lagarde, director of Un corps brûlant [A Free Run]
18 February 2022, by Brasserie du Court team, Clotilde CouturierLina and Inès do not know each other. Yet they have one thing in common: parkour. From roof to roof, from wall to barrier, the two teenagers observe each other from a distance, like, try to get closer. But, because they don’t want to be seen, they are constantly interrupted. What interested you about the subject of romantic encounters and are you planning on making other films on the same theme? I was extremely desirous of making a physical film where bodies would be put to the test. (...)