HollyShorts 2018 - Martien
One evening, two robbers try to hold up a gas station. They point their guns at the cashier, who despite their yelling, fails to react the way they’d expected...
Interview with Writer/Director Maxime Pillonel
Watch Martien on Vimeo on demand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! During my film studies, I was attracted by writing a story of robbery by placing the spectator in the point of view of a deaf person in conflict with his disability, causing unexpected situations.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
For the following reasons, "Martien send to us on another planet, a crazy story in a deaf world, stripping comedians in a daring, politically incorrect and never well-thought-out film", indicated the jury of a festival in a press release.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Martien is above all a film about the prejudices of every person with a difference or disability. Being a person with a disability is not an easy choice in everyday life, even though people generally demonstrate understanding. Deafness remains the only "invisible" handicap, which can lead to unusual situations.
I developed a story from facts that I personally experienced through fiction. I wrote a film about the problem of deafness and the gaze of others by making a detour by a certain number of prejudices in which other people are victims (obesity, color of skin, verbal expression, precariousness, motor handicap). The comedy is a formidable vector to address fragile themes of society for the general public. In this sense, Martien shakes up the prejudice on the handicap with humor and intelligence.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
In writing a comedy about disability, I show a noble and ambitious approach to my graduation film. Comedy requires a high quality of writing and a particular attention to rhythm and direction, while the theme - disability - requires a particular sensitivity. It is this double challenge of the genre and the theme that inspired me to embark on this project.
To tell the story of Martien, a deaf trade employee who suffered a robbery turning into a comic situation, each with his own contradictions, I concentrated the action of my film in a scene set within a shop interior, gas station, with singular characters all having a "default" or handicap. I attacked through what the characters live through, to the problems they encounter everyday and about which I want to change the mentalities.
Thanks to my producers, I was able to benefit from a framework allowing me to advance effectively in my writing, as technical as it is, of a successful comedy. Their teaching allowed me to progress in my work by developing a method of editorial work and a rigor in my approach.
Once our actors came aboard the project, they took possession of their characters and the script has evolved to blend in with our combined vision for the film, while paying attention to the essential script and the issues.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I had positive reactions. People wanted to know more about the character. It was a real discovery for them to discover the world of Martien's deafness. A world far from what they could imagine. And a breath of fresh air.
When the film was screened at festivals, I have an incredible amount of positive feedback, especially because the film's themes have touched people.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It only surprised me knowing how many people have friends and close persons with deaf disability, and that they did not realize how they perceive their verbal expressions.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want the film to reach as many people as possible, not only those within the film and festival industry.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Everyone who wants or thinks it’s important is welcome. I would like for a big TV network to buy this film so that I can reach audiences beyond the festival sphere !
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want to change the mentality that people can have about disability.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you know how a deaf person hears?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Two new projects being written that I hope to shoot next year.
Interview: August 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Martien
One evening, two robbers try to hold up a gas station. They point their guns at the cashier, who despite their yelling, fails to react the way they’d expected...
Length: 09’25’’
Who is being interviewed for this article? Maxime Pillonel
Director: Maxime Pillonel
Producer: Romain Graf & Pierre-Adrian Irlé (Jump Cut Production), Lionel Baier (ECAL)
Writer: Maxime Pillonel
About the writer, director and producer:
MAXIME PILLONEL was born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1992. He is passionate about the cinema and joined the Film Studies section of ECAL (University of Art and Design) in Switzerland in 2012.
Key cast: Sami Kadhraoui, Rébecca Balestra, Baptiste Gilliéron, Loc Nguyen, Nadège Kindudi, Floryane Hornung, Ruben Martins Ferro and Gérald Métroz
Looking for: buyers, distributors and film festival directors.
Facebook: Maxime Pillonel
Instagram: @maximepillonel
Funders: Cinéforom and RTS radio télévision suisse (swiss tv radio)
Made in association with: RTS radio télévision suisse (swiss tv radio)
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? In Kansas international Film Festival (12-18 October 2018)