Clermont FF

Moments in the lives of Austin teenagers in the heat of Texas summer. How was Birds born? I wanted to make this film, in part, to explore my creative process. My last short film involved a local community of young people whom I spent time with and worked with to make a film about their world. Birds expands on that approach more deeply. This film is more improvised, more off-the-cuff and observational, blurring the lines of doc and narrative in a way that was new for me. It was also my way (...)

Parents often push their children to follow their steps. In this case, the father’s obsession with the rally turns the kid into a car tire. Loosely inspired by the director’s childhood, Sierra takes us into the surreal car racing world. What inspired you to make Sierra, an animation film that deals with the pressures parents can put on their children? After talking to my friends and acquaintances I found that the pressure from their parents to choose the “right career” is quite common. (...)

What motivated you to tell the story of these two characters? What did you want to explore through their relationship? I was interested in telling a story about understanding. I wanted to bring two characters together who might see each other in a unique and forgiving way, even though they have been pitted against each other by a situation they didn’t create. It’s an exploration of human connection despite circumstance and the vulnerabilities we all have. I’m also really interested in the (...)

Upon his arrival at a prestigious military high school, Woyzeck, an officer’s son, meets Bakary, a student from a modest background with whom he will share a room. During a night of integration, the two boys will try to find their place in the Family, a group of influential students. Why did you choose a military school as the setting for your story? Is it an environment that you know well? In my previous short films, I have already explored exclusively male environments. In choosing a (...)

While he is overwhelmed by his debts and coping with his dying mother, Arnaud meets Momo, a magician from his neighborhood with unusual and mischievous behavior. This meeting will not ward off bad luck, quite the contrary. But perhaps the discovery of an old flute may be the solution to all their problems and change their destiny? Tell us a bit about Momo and Arnaud. Are they based on people you know in real life? The character Arnaud gets his name from a close friend of mine, Arnaud (...)

Two sisters, aged 5 and 8, hang out alone at home in the middle of the countryside. Elsa, the youngest, swallows three grains of coarse salt. Judith announces to her that she’s doomed to a death by desiccation, and she only has a few hours to live. The mother returns, behaving ardently and feverishly, and turns the family’s destiny upside down. Is it fair to describe Trois grains de gros sel as a coming-of-age story? Do the two children come into their own? The film is about what it’s like (...)

Lina and Inès do not know each other. Yet they have one thing in common: parkour. From roof to roof, from wall to barrier, the two teenagers observe each other from a distance, like, try to get closer. But, because they don’t want to be seen, they are constantly interrupted. What interested you about the subject of romantic encounters and are you planning on making other films on the same theme? I was extremely desirous of making a physical film where bodies would be put to the test. This (...)

Ghostly, the temporarily shut down cruise ships lie in the port of Hamburg. A young man comes into town and is stranded on the riverbank, waiting for a message. He watches couples strolling along in the sunset and gets himself some sweets. In a moment of collective pause, Islands in the City captures a fragile romance. There is a departure in the air, the destination of which no one seems to know. Did the lockdowns and more generally the pandemic draw you to make a film that deals with (...)

Julia, an experienced history teacher in a rather quiet high school, faces a school inspector. He wants to talk to her. But what about, exactly? Her heated debates with the principal? The freedom she takes with the school program? Or the way she teaches the Shoah? Where did you get the idea for the interview between the school inspector and the teacher? We were looking for a situation that’s rarely seen in films about schools and that was likely to raise as many questions as possible (...)

’Joy’ captures a moment in the lives of the inmates of a children’s prison, revolving around Joy - the 12-year-old self-made charismatic preacher who wields an intoxicating power over her peers, and perhaps even the staff. What did you want to explore through your two protagonists’ relationship? I wanted to explore the complex dynamics of power and dependency between two children incarcerated in a children’s secure home. We follow the teenage boy Jacob who – based on his age and gender would be (...)