THE SWEATER, 9min., Canada
Directed by Maziyar Khatam
Pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss.

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Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This idea has been bouncing around in my head since 2017: a guy donates his sweater at his girlfriend's request, but his male friends make him feel inferior, so he decides to steal it back at all costs to prove his manhood. Firstly, it's a comedy, but it was also important for the story to feel personal, delving into masculinity, self-worth, and the struggle for validation.

At the time, executing this film didn't seem feasible from a budgetary perspective, especially with one of the key scenes being set at a donation center/thrift store. Our team had no finances to shut down an entire store, hire background extras, and shoot such a scene.

Years later, we had been discussing another idea that would utilize a more guerrilla shooting style. It occurred to us that we could shoot The Sweater this way as a proof of concept for our other more expansive project.

So we used hidden cameras and snuck into locations, which gave the film a voyeuristic and personal feel. The result was a bizarre hybrid of real people and actors fusing into a single narrative.

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

to make this film?

We started with a loose script but a clear vision. We wanted to give the actors a lot of leeway with the material and have it maintain a more real feel. Because we were shooting with real people, it was impossible to shoot to a strict screenplay but gave us an opportunity to adapt the narrative to unexpected outcomes.

We shot the film and had a first cut in under two weeks. Then we went back and re-shot certain scenes and shots after constructing the story, similar to a documentary approach.

The post-production was the longest period, since the real people in the film weren't mic'd, we decided it would be better to have voice actors ADR them.

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

Fake, Real.

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

Editing was difficult because there were a lot of different options to choose from. There were probably like 30 different versions of this film that exist.

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

It was amazing! Glad they enjoyed it.

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

In drama class in Grade 6. It's when I knew I wanted to write stories.

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

Goodfellas, Annie Hall and Face-Off

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other

festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking

Career?

Doing live Q&As and talking to other filmmakers.

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

We are in pre-production for our first feature and have a treatment for a television show.