KILLING R, 15min., Sweden
Directed by Irene Altagracia Perez Lopez
In a not-so-distant future where AI technology is part of everyday life, Rebecka (41), a successful architect and mother to Nonno (5), works from home with her sick daughter while her partner Carl (39) is away.

http://irenelopez.se/killing-r/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087540991321

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
A career and family place enormous demands on women, and no matter how hard they try, their time and efforts never seem enough. Add to this the pressure for perfection—complicating things rather than opting for simple solutions to achieve exactly what we want. The novel Clonemom and Killing R emerged from my fantasy: 'What if I had a clone of myself?

The concept of a perfect society is on the line. Can we keep up? Do our actions as "perfect" parents impact our children? Are they already caught in this race to fit in? Killing R is inspired by my mother’s long visits from Costa Rica, which often left me exhausted. She helped me with everything—cooking, cleaning, and caring for the kids—yet her constant corrections and perfectionism wore me down. I realized I was doing the same to my husband. He calls it micromanaging. I had become a clone of my mother, unconsciously inheriting her way of managing everything, reflecting deeply ingrained patriarchal structures.

Killing R is a proof of concept to a feature in the making, made during my MA at SKH (UNIARTS) in Stockholm. I want both men and women to relate to the experience of being imperfect humans in an increasingly perfect world. Perhaps, we can start to accept our flawed, authentic selves."

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

We started the process during summer of 2022 and finished the film May 2023.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
A Mini Black mirror (4 words)

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
We had a very low budget 12 000 EUR and with this we wanted to work with a lot of CGI and effects. This took time from me with the actors and the script- this I regret a lot.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Wow! These women have looked at my film and understood my deepest inner thoughts about it! They understood everything! And made their own thoughts and connections about the topic. I thought this part to be the most interesting. I will take these thoughts with me to the next film witch is a feature with the same topic.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
My immigrant stepdad- Carlos wanted to be a filmmaker but instead he became a historian. We would watch everything from Godard to horror and Jackie Chan movies. He would explain the subtext of the film, symbolics and how all effects were made. In a way he was my first teacher. My mom didn't want me to work with arts.. So it was a struggle. But one day my stepfather said to me that I should try my luck in Stockholm, and gave me 100 EUR. With this I slept on couches until I got in to the greatest film and art schools. Everything else is history.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Probably Frost ( I have three kids) but for me: Lite water to chocolate, 1992 and Dirty Dancing 1987, and Fynny games, 1997.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Well, I need to find real good scriptwriters and coproducers to elevate my next feature film. For me it is important to be at the festival and make these connections.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Easy but very hard to know what festovals are "real" or not.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Korean food..

11. What is next for you? A new film?
My next film is a feature that portrays the same there that is in this short. It is about a mother but this time we added three kids and a husband with mother to the story. And it will be more humouristic than the shortfilm. This film will deal more mirroring ourselves in the AI and why we strive for perfection when we in fact are imperfects as human beings.