Wizard of Oz, 7min., Germany
Directed by Alex Sebastian
Young Astronomer Truth needs to prevail in a world of social media misinformation.

http://alexsebastian.de/
https://instagram.com/alexsebastianmuc

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
It seems that facts don’t count much any longer in this world. People are trending to want to believe whatever feels most comfortable for them and social media makes it incredibly easy for false preachers to “prove them right”. While this music and video crossover art project was not inspired by recent events, but had its origins roughly eight years ago, with folks like Musk and Trump my dystopian fears from back then what might happen were actually exceeded. Which is quite scary.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It all started out as an album project. I wanted to produce one and the same song in different versions by working with different instrumentalists. The version were meant to be symbols for social media bubbles, where the same story is spun in different ways, even though it’s the same story. Production time of the EP was roughly four years. I already had a different script for the video early on which I threw away entirely in the beginning of 2024, as it seemed outdated and not focused enough on what I wanted to convey. So I wrote a new one and fine tuned it with my creative team in spring 2024. Principal shooting took 3 1/2 days. Editing and postproduction was done on and off in a matter of a view weeks.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Finding enough people to play extras. It’s really funny. One would think people are really interested in being close to movie productions, but we had a hard time finding enough people. It worked out in the end.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was surprising to see how different people see or realize different things and perceive/interpret them.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Well, very early on as a kid. I don’t remember exactly. Cameras always fascinated me. I did not go into it as a career, though, but found my way doing it. I only do projects I really feel an inner urge to do.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
That’s a hard one. I tend not to watch films all over again. I’m always interested in new stuff I haven’t seen. But if one came to mind I’ve seen plenty of times, it’s probably Life of Brian. Or to name a more odd choice: The Hudsucker Proxy.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
The best thing always is: Exposure. I’m doing this in the hope to reach as many people as possible.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway is great. It’s easy to use and gives you a lot of choice. Even though there also are a lot of questionable formats on there. One has to be careful which Festival to select that also provides value to you as an artist. To me that’s either festivals that take place in person. Festivals where you can win money prices. And I really love Wildsound because you get audience feedback by random people who probably have never heard from you before.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Am I allowed to only name one? Pizza, Chicken Tikka, Burgers, Enchiladas

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Looks like I’m in my dystopian phase. The next song and short project will be about AI. Hoping to be ready for release before reality beats my imagination again.