AN INTERMISSION, 13min,. France
Directed by William Georges-Garcia
After receiving a letter and questioning everything he took for granted, Rufus prepares to leave everything behind when a chance meeting with Amelia, his childhood love, forces both of them to come to terms with the end of their young adult lives.

https://www.instagram.com/anintermissionfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This is my first short film, so it was very important to me to be able to work on a project that allowed me to work with the actors as much as possible. I've always been a fan of dialogue-heavy, character-driven films, so when I started writing this script it seemed like the perfect opportunity to collaborate closely with my actors, working on the intention of each line the way one would with a play.

About the story itself, one of the things that interested me the most was this idea of "what you want" versus "what's expected you". The inevitable conflict of it. Sometimes you do everything you're supposed to do in life and it still doesn't turn out right, so you have to decide to prioritize pleasing other people or pleasing yourself, knowing that it's often a lose-lose situation. We all play different roles in life and it's difficult to find a more appearance-based society than 19th century England. I thought that if I could frame this dilemma with a love story-- two people that found "an intermission" from their respective roles when they were with each other— that maybe that could be interesting.

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

I initially started to write bits of dialogue in Shakespearean English two years ago, just to challenge myself. I later changed it into Regency English and once I committed to the idea of making it into a short film it took about 7 months.

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

Bittersweet love.

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

Shooting 20 pages of dialogue in a short amount of time was a big challenge, both for narrative and logistical reasons. The entire film is made of continuous dialogue, so maintaining a certain momentum, giving the audience enough exposition to understand what's at stake and hitting the right beats at the right time is very important, especially when the story is only told in cuts of people talking, listening and reacting to each other. The location we shot the film in didn't allow us to shoot after 4pm and we had to go through a lot of setups to get the coverage we needed.

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

I'm very flattered and grateful. It's very gratifying to hear people notice the little blind stitches that can sometimes go unnoticed. Thank you very much to everyone who sent their feedback.

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

Films have always been part of my life. My grandparents were big fans of Westerns and there we always had a big VHS and DVD collection at home. Having said that, the most important thing in my life was music. I was playing and creating music throughout my twenties. I bought into the rockstar lifestyle, but the simplest way to say it is that the world didn't agree with me. I was always watching movies all the time and when I took a break from music, I started to write and document little ideas that I had and they started to turn into dialogue and outlines of larger stories. For a couple of years I worked in fashion photography and documentary filmmaking until I felt ready to write and direct when I turned 30. Being stubborn and a slow learner is not a great combination.

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

The Social Network.

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

As someone who keeps away from social media, I suppose that it would be great to create some kind of group that would facilitate getting into contact with other filmmakers that were part of the festival.

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

Very straightforward and efficient.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I'm always partial to lasagna.

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

Yes! I am planning to write and direct a new short film this year.