Saft (Juice)
Meaty creatures must learn to share their juicy world with the pesky little bugs, before they run dry.
Interview with Director/Animator Mona Keil
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I like making films, that make you feel things more than tell you stories. The experience of watching should be more like listening to a song than reading a book. When I started thinking about my diploma film, I decided to make it about something that is disgusting, but also likable. Like body fluids. Salva, sweat and discharge can be extremely disgusting, but also create feelings of intimacy and well-being. I wanted to produce a 'juice' that can trigger the same ambivalence in us.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Disgust is something fascinating. You don't want to look too closely at disgusting things, but it is hard not to look as well. They are attractive and repulsive at the same time. In this film a curious and strange world is shown, that can trigger that same ambivalence in us while telling a vital story about symbiosis and dependencies.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
We are all depending on the world around us, so we should try and treat it with the respect it deserves. The little thing you just pushed aside might actually be responsible for your happiness.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
As I started out with a feeling I wanted to produce, rather than a storyline, it was hard work for me to find the right story to convey that feeling. I wrote a lot of different versions and drew hundreds of sketches, before I found the story that worked for me. In the beginning, the creatures were more anthropomorphic and versatile, but the longer I thought about it, the more I stripped them from all features until they were no more than lumps of flesh. That seems just enough to me.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Some people are fascinated, some are revolted. And some are very much surprised to hear that the complete film is created and animated in stop-motion.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I didn't expect so many people to think that the film is CGI. But that is probably because I cannot imagine myself doing something like that on the computer. I know there are people that can create a stunningly haptic feel in CGI, but I am not one of them. I need real materials.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want to get more people interested in the film!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
As I am still touring festivals, I would like to get film festival directors and journalists interested. But also distributors and buyers. Let's spread this disgusting little film all over the place!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love the film to be remembered.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Are conservative-thinking people more easily disgusted? And is that a behavior we can unlearn?
Would you like to add anything else?
I hope I didn't scare you off!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am in the process of thinking about a new short film I want to make. But as this thinking phase usually takes a while, I cannot say for sure what it will be about yet.
Interview: May 2023
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
Saft (Juice)
Meaty creatures must learn to share their juicy world with the pesky little bugs, before they run dry.
Length: 4:55
Director: Mona Keil
Producer: Isabella Braun
Writer: Mona Keil
About the writer, director and producer:
MONA KEIL works with experimental visual art, focusing on animated movies. As her main interest lies in an analog approach to visual material, her work includes stop-motion, cutout animation and drawn animation.
Key cast: Mona Keil (Director), Isabella Braun (Producer), Jan Fabi (DoP), Revan Sarikaya (Montage), Paulo Scatena (Technical Director), Marvin Sprengel (Compositing), Martin Recker (Composition and Sounddesign), Arne Hain (Additional Animation)
Looking for: film festival directors, journalists and buyers
Instagram: @mon_akeil
Hashtags used: #stopmotion #shortfilm #savetheplanet #animatedhorror
Other: Vimeo
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Pictoplasma/Berlin - 05.05.2023, MIAF (Melbourne International Animation Festival)/Melbourne - 13.05.2023, Neisse-Nysa-Nisa Film Festival/Germany, Poland Czech Republic - 25.+27.05.2023, Mammoth Lakes Film Festival/Mammoth Lakes - 24-28.05.2023, Animafest/Zagreb - 5.-10.06.2023, Norwegian Short Film Festival/Grimstad - 07.-11.06.2023, Fest Anca/Zilina,Slovakia - 29.06.-02.07.2023