Can you tell us about your latest film project and the process you went through in bringing it to life?

My latest project is called Go West. It's a story of friendship set against the backdrop of a road movie. In 2021, I started writing a short film entitled "Jour de rêve", but found it had too many characters. So I freshened it up and kept just two characters. I changed a few elements of the story to create Go West. I financed it myself.

 

What inspired you to become a filmmaker and pursue a career in the film industry?

It goes back to my childhood, when I watched a lot of films and discovered what filmmaking was all about. I started making short parody films with my brother. This helped me understand how a film was made, and also my directorial mistakes. I continued to learn from books and making-of films, until I produced my first short film, directed by my brother, entitled "The Green Dragon".

I didn't go to film school, I'm self-taught, so obviously the path is a little longer.

 

What challenges did you encounter during the filmmaking process, and how did you overcome them?

For Go West, one of the biggest challenges was having both cars available at the time of shooting. For the record, the film shows a Porsche and a Maserati. I went to car classifieds to ask owners of luxury vehicles to join me in this project, except that a week before the shoot, I didn't have any cars. Fortunately, 48 hours before the scene, I got these two vehicles, thanks to some film enthusiasts.

 

How do you approach storytelling in your films? What themes or messages are you trying to convey?

One of the recurring themes in my films is to show two different generations. I like to emphasize intergenerational transmission, with the aim of both characters advancing along the same path through their mutual experiences. In the background is the idea of never giving up on one's dreams and moving forward no matter what, despite life's difficulties. Ambition is also a recurring theme that I like to tackle.

 

What is your favorite film genre and why? Are there any directors or filmmakers who have influenced your work?

If I had to choose a specific theme, it would be adventure, because it brings together many genres that I admire, such as action and drama. It's true that I'm fascinated by the emerging British directors of the 80s known as the "admen", such as Adrian Lyne, Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson, Ridley Scott and his brother Tony Scott, because these directors have a very marked visual imprint that's recognizable at a glance.

The subjects of their films are equally eclectic, which has won them the admiration of the public. For example, Alan Parker's Mississippi Burning deals with racism, insecurity and crowd manipulation in the American South.

 

How do you choose the cast and crew for your film projects? What qualities do you look for in your collaborators?

In the early days, I advertised for technical crew and actors, especially film students. For Go West, the crew and actors were recommended by the production company that produced me.

 

My first short film won several festival awards, including Best Trailer at the Red Movie Awards, where I had the honor of receiving a trophy, which encouraged me to push myself artistically for the rest of my career.

 

How do you deal with reactions and criticism of your films? How do you use them?

I'd say that criticism is beneficial to the advancement of a project. I remember that on my previous short film "Plein Gaz", which was an exercise in style, a festival criticized the lack of narrative structure and character development. But this criticism was beneficial for Go West, which enabled me to develop mature, human characters in a story that speaks a little more to the audience.

 

What advice would you give to budding filmmakers just starting out in the film industry?

Like many well-known signmakers, I started making amateur short films when I was a teenager, parodying cult films and learning how to position the camera, angles of view and shot values. Learning from old films as well as new ones is also beneficial.

 

Finally, can you tell us about your future projects as a filmmaker?

I'm in the middle of writing the feature film adaptation of Go West, and I'm preparing another feature film on the theme of life after life...