TWISTED GAZE, 19min., Mexico
Directed by David Sanchez V
Diego travels to Turkey, makes a layover in Dubai. There he suffers a series of abuses by authority, sexual and homophobic by the police and military. This leads to a ceaseless search of identity and an obscure social questioning — psychological about masculinity, diversity and the “Who am I”.

https://instagram.com/diegoavilamx

Get to know the filmmaker;

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The fact that in 2023 we can still be sexually abused for being homosexual.

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

It took us 8 months from kicking off the project to wrapping it up. It all kicked off when we were working on another short film with Diego. He shared his experience in Dubai, and it stuck with me for a few days. When we caught up again, we decided to do something about it. Diego wrote everything down in great detail. After that, we recorded the "interview" (the voiceover you hear in the film). It was a two-hour-long recording... After that, we spent 2 months in post-production.

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

Real and Resilient

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

The main challenge hit us when we realized we didn't have enough footage to fill a 19-minute slot. We brainstormed ways to tackle it and thought about using masks, but the person who was supposed to make them bailed on us. So, we had to pivot and went for a "simpler" approach—using illustrations and animating some of them.

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

It was awesome to see! Even though it's a tricky topic and, on top of that, it's in Spanish with a bunch of English subtitles, the audience still picked up on everything we wanted to convey with the film.

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

Back when I was a teenager, during one summer, I made a short movie with my cousins who visited me from Mexico to France (I lived in France from 9 to 18 yo). That's when I started diving into the world of filmmaking.

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

Emmm, tough question, maybe la haine, maybe superbad, a lot of skate films too, I watched them every day before going to school.

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

Honestly, I'm not sure! You are already doing a fantastic job as a film festival. The feedback is incredibly valuable. Often, we can't make it to all the film festivals, and the fact that you provide feedback in video format is really, really nice/important to see.

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

From my point of view it's the best website to submit your work. I've tried other platforms, and none of them have an intuitive interface like FF.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Tuna croquettes with tomato sauce.

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

I'm in the pre-production phase of my first feature film. Fingers crossed, we'll be shooting it in November, bouncing between Paris and Mexico City. Meanwhile, Diego and I are gearing up for another project—a podcast for Instagram.