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I wanted to make a film set in one location and following a central mystery. The initial idea was inspired by the Aesop fable of the same name. I decided to explore its themes of stubbornness, denial and cope - threading them with the idea of grief. The narrative of The Fox and the Grapes grew from there. My protagonist, unable to explain the stranger’s appearance, would spiral into fear and paranoia, using increasingly desperate measures to in order to escape his perceived danger and his own buried grief. However, the film would ultimately convey a sense of hope, as the stranger would offer her own fantastical story of grief, expressing how it forced her to move forward despite her reservations, leading her to him. Whether her tale is true or not ceases to matter – the power of her words would have a profound effect on him. Visually, I was influenced by the fragmented dreamlike quality of filmmakers like David Lynch and Darren Aronofsky, drawing heavily from the latter’s beautifully bleak cinematography of The Whale. The themes of isolation, pain and redemption were crucial in creating the chlaustrophobic visual language of The Fox and the Grapes.
Country: United Kingdom
T-Port Partner: Festival Formula
Assad Zaman is a British Asian actor, writer and director, known for playing Armand in the acclaimed AMC series "Interview with the Vampire". His first short represents his passion for unconventional storytelling, drawing inspiration from his working-class roots in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Dazed and unable to recall the night before, Ash is confronted one morning with his...
