Award of Merit – “Once Upon a Time” (Belgium)

Title: Once Upon a Time
Runtime: 10 min
Country: Belgium
Director: Annick Christiaens
Placement: Award of Merit
Competition: September 30, 2017

Synopsis: When David, a young Jewish medicine student, decides to bring a laughter on the sorrowful face of a young girl, he has just crossed in a park, he happily ignores the amount of obstacles it will take him, to succeed eventually in his goal in despite of himself.

FILMMAKER Q&A – Annick Christiaens, Director/ Writer 

GS: What was the inspiration for your film?

AC: People all over the planet, need to be connected, to feel useful for some one else. You can post your achievements on a social media forum and your friends will be happy for you as they say, but that act doesn’t connect us, it’s merely the goal to get others a little bit envious. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as it pushes everybody to find his own talents, but still when that becomes our only business, to find out how we can overrule others with our achievements, everybody gets very lonely and not so happy after all. While I believe everybody feels happy when a little bit of  kindness, given even to a stranger, makes that person smile for a moment thanks to your energy. Of course this was meant to be a story, so the main character who is giving his energy doesn’t succeed in his goal, until fate  turns his energy eventually into a smile, he didn’t expect anymore.

GS: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?

AC: I made 15 stories about how people, get in touch with some stranger for a few minutes, often because they wrongly interpreted a sign from that stranger. I called these serie Marquet Place ( a wordplay with the English word Market and the French word “marquetterie”).

One of the stories, was Once upon a time , but shorter. When I needed to choose for a script & directing workshop, a story that took place outside ( to cost less) and with no figurants or second parts ( to cost less), I choose this one. Therefore it took 17 months.

GS: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?

AC: To convince the main actor, who’s quite known here in the Flanders, to give his energy for this story without dialogue. The actors couldn’t understand, what I wanted to achieve by replacing words by actions ( like redirecting the sun on her shoulders with his smartphone – or dropping his keys, to disturb her sadness, so that she would yell at him : hé mister, you dropped your keys etc)

We only had one shooting day in the park and almost no crewmembers, so I had to be very firm on the matter to get at least convincible expressions.

GS: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?

AC: That the producer wasn’t really involved, since it was made during a workshop with the classmates, who had also their own films to attend to. I was the only one who had a lot of experience as an actress and knew more or less what was necessary, but still, as a director, you cannot do seven other jobs at the same time. But I had to, because there was no money and not enough people to fill in the gaps. Still the people who did help, did their utmost, with the shabby material we had ( self-made “dolly” for instance, no shoulder camera possibilities etc etc).

GS: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?

AC: In my opinion content comes first.

Having something to tell, seems to me the most important.

Then find the people who can express the things you want to make clear  and be surrounded by people who have really read your story and understand what you want to translate in images.