Focus on AFI Conservatory - A Safe Guide to Dying
The quest of a self-deprecating man exploring different suicide methods inside a lifelike videogame simulation.
Interview with Director Dimitris Tsilifonis
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
A Safe Guide to Dying was a script that was being developed for more than two years, while we were all studying at the AFI conservatory. From the start, our aim was to create a 360 experience that was tied together with a strong narrative that revolved around the meta element of a virtual world inside a virtual world. We wanted to create a film that would challenge our personal limits, but which would also mark new territory in VR experiences.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The beauty of VR experiences is that they encourage and invite experimentation and innovation. In a way there are no right, or wrong choices. Our aim was to find new ways to combine traditional 2D storytelling and juxtaposed it with a 360 narrative. Whether we succeeded on our goal is up to the audience to determine, but I guarantee it is something that they probably haven’t seen before.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
For the past few decades science fiction films have mostly been associated with dystopian narratives. Cautionary tales where technology ruins our lives in one way or another. The goal of A Safe Guide to Dying was to portray an optimistic view of the near future where technology helps us overcome our deepest fears and demons. This notion originated from a personal viewpoint of mine in regards to technology and social media today. We constantly hear about technology isolating people, but in my experience skype, IM apps etc. have only done the contrary. I wanted to show that such a world can indeed exist.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback we received in Tribeca and most of the film festivals we played was absolutely thrilling. People responded to the film’s dark nature, and enjoyed being taken on its wild ride. Many commented on its unsettling and macabre nature, which to be fair I completely understand. Violence is in many way amplified in 360 settings because it feels so much more closer and vivid.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We knew that audiences would be shocked while watching it, but I guess we didn’t expect the fear it would produce. One of the great joys of making 360 films is that you can watch the reactions the audience is making while watching it. It’s very interesting to notice what captivates their attention and where they get startled.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The reception has already been amazing and we couldn’t be happier. We managed to score several distribution deals and the film keeps getting invited to film festivals more than a year and a half after its release.
Would you like to add anything else?
I guess the question we wanted to ask, and the one our creative team kept having, was whether virtual immersive worlds could be a substitute for reality, and whether those worlds could help us make informed decisions in our real life.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
After finishing production, the team scattered in different cities around the world, but we are all still very much active in different productions in the US, Mexico and Europe. We have several new projects coming up, including TV shows and feature, but sadly we cannot disclose any info about them just yet!
Interview: July 2021
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
A Safe Guide to Dying
Length:
0:12
Writer
Alessandro Pederzoli
Director
Dimitris Tsilifonis
Producer
Froso Tsipopoulou
Key cast
Chris Mulkey
More info
Made in association with
AFI Conservatory