MY BABY, 18min,. France
Directed by John Dada
Laura is pregnant. With her husband Francisco, they move into a new house in the countryside. But the baby’s arrival will be more unsettling than they anticipated and the arrival of an intriguing neighbour will disturb their uneventful everyday.

https://john-dada.com/director
https://www.instagram.com/johndada_weathermen
https://www.facebook.com/johndadantw/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

With Spanish screenwriter Johanna Soudry Blasco, we wanted to do a piece in the way of the Spanish films of genre we love like The Orphanato and The Others. And I had recently immersed myself in Kubrick's filmography. So I guess it's a mix between those two different cinema cultures. We wanted to create a narrative with a twist in the end so that when you watch the film multiple times, you see everything differently.

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

We had the idea for a few months before production. In the end, the whole process only took a few weeks because we had planned to shoot during the summer. But plans changed and we had to adapt, as it's often the case... So we had 2 weeks for pre-production! We wrote and storyboarded the whole piece right away, booked the location & shot the film over the course of 1 month. Shooting took place during 4 days on location. Then two weeks of editing and post production.

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

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

At the time of shooting we thought that the murder scene should be bloodless, as we needed to concentrate on the victim's emotions during his final moments. But during editing, we felt it needed some blood to give it a more dramatic aspect. So I spent a few hours adding the blood in post-production to make it feel as if it was there on the set. That was a bit tricky!

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

We were amazed by how enthusiastic people were & really analysing in great detail the plot & the psychology of the characters.

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

When I was around 8, I used to make short films with my father's old Video8. We would do stunts and disappearing effects with my brother. We would cut & edit simply by pressing the record button.

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

I guess it's a tie between Annie Hall and The Shining!

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

A great thing would be for the selected films to be shown to distributors and/or production companies.

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

It's very easy to work with FilmFreeway, very well made for filmmakers even though we have to be careful where we send our films. There are many festivals out there that seem to be giving awards to just about anyone willing to pay the fee.

10. What is your favorite meal?

A home-made hamburger!

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

Of course! Already writing a new script, I tried out some new anamorphic lenses and I'm also composing symphonic music for a live show in France.