Every year, European Film Promotion (EFP) select ten outstanding young directors and screen their films at the Karlovy-Vary Film Festival, following which we are lucky enough to host the films here on T-Port for our Professional Subscribers.
We were lucky to interview two of the directors. First up, Marthe Peters, whose film BALDILOCKS is available to watch here.
Hi Marthe! Tell us a bit about who you are…
I’m Marthe (she/her), 25 years old, from the Netherlands but living and working in Ghent, Belgium. I graduated film school (KASK, Ghent) last year and I am currently working on my next short film. It will be an essay documentary, deriving from an autobiographical standpoint but giving voice to others as well, about the body and pets.
What is the title of your film? What is it about?
Kaalkapje, or Baldilocks in English. This film is about my experience with childhood cancer, and the problems or thoughts it has caused in my current life. The film uses found footage from my time being ill, as well as current, abstract images of my life and reflections on the illness.
My parents play a big part in the film, it’s a love letter to them.
What were the biggest challenges you encountered during making your film? How do you view them now?
My way of working is very intuitive; I write, edit and film at the same time. With this way of making I find that it’s really difficult to feel like you’re making progress, up until the point when the film is finished, it can feel like a search where nothing might come of it.
Tell us three things you learned from the process of making your film
- Making a film doesn’t have to cost much
- The personal can be very universal
- My parents are even more lovely than I thought they were.
What do you love most about your film?
The audience’s reactions on my upbringing
Do you feel that you understand film distribution? What do you wish you’d known before you started the process?
I feel like I’m slowly getting better at it. I wish I’d known that it’s quite draining; e-mails take a lot of work.
Do you have any fears for the future of the film industry? If so what are they?
I fear that there’s not going to be enough space for small productions and experimental work.
If you could make one change to the film industry as it stands now, what would it be?
More focus on a sustainable way of filmmaking, and also a cheap way of making films.
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