Chef D'oeuvre Film D'art, 3min,. USA
Directed by Chris Armienti
When a man who's watched too many French New Wave films has to cook for his blind date, he musters all the abilities and knowledge he's gained from his favorite genre to knock his date off her feet.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

It was a combination of my love of comedy with my love of classic film. I love making people laugh, and there's no better feeling in the world to me than seeing somebody get a hearty chuckle from a joke I've told.

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

I was taking a class called "advanced directing" at my school, where the objective was to produce one short film a week for six weeks straight. The idea was to get everybody outside of their own head, and to stop WORRYING about making films, and instead, just go out and make films. He kept impressing that "constraints breed creativity" and that the lack of time would help our creativity flow, because we'd have no time to overthink. At first I thought the whole idea made no sense, but honestly, some of the best films I saw at school came from that class. So to more directly answer your question, about a week.

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

Very stupid

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

The biggest obstacle was when we went outside to the parking lot to set burn the chef outfit for the next shot, my landlord came out screaming "why the hell are you setting fire on my property!" I explained it was for a film, and that we'll stop. After she went back inside, we went around the corner and just kept burning it, haha. Sometimes art requires sacrifice, and if that means being accused of arson, so be it.

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

It was incredible to see what the audience said about the film. As creatives, we pretend that we don't need validation, but that's bullshit, we all do, don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

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

Ever since I was about 13. My dad got me my first video camera. I went around making short skits with my friends. Down the road, the skits became short scenes, then the scenes became short films. At this rate I figure a feature film is just around the corner!

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

It's a tie between Hot Fuzz and Spaceballs. I could watch those movies forever.

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

I'm not really sure to be honest. The best part about festivals to me, is seeing how your movie plays for an audience. I love seeing the audience feedback. Positive feedback is amazing, but even negative feedback is good too. Sure, there's no worse feeling than having an audience not laugh at a joke you think is great. However, when a joke bombs you can say "Okay next time, DON'T do that, dumbass."

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

I have had nothing but positive experiences with FilmFreeway. The only thing is that nowadays it can be expensive to submit to festivals, but I'm not sure if that's FilmFreeway's fault.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Pizza, hands down. Also, New York pizza is the best pizza, and I will fight anybody that says otherwise.

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

Another short film I directed is making the rounds at film festivals, and is getting awards as well! Right now I'm just waiting for that movie to run its course, then I'm going to make my next film. I'm still looking for investors for it, but even if I can't find them, like my professor said, "constraints breed creativity." Haha.