Frank Reyes

Check out the full interview with Frank Reyes below...

Hi Frank, could you please tell us a little bit more about your submitted project? How did you come up with such an original story?

DANTE. This short is the story of two young vampires, Dante and Sol. Dante has confined himself in a tower. There he is totally isolated from the people of “the outside world”. Until one day Sol comes to bring him out of his exile. Sol will persevere to pull Dante out from the tower. In order to achieve it she will use the power of love, but not that of a conventional love. Hers is a generous, courageous and empathetic love. Behind this, in appearence fantasy story, we shall find the story of two youngsters trying to find a place of their own. It will be then the story of our own daily struggle trying to find a place in a world that is not certantly made for vampires or human beings. As an idea for making a film, Dante was the result of a visit to an abandon tower alike building where my first tought was to put a vampire meditating about the boredom of being inmortal.

Tell us something about yourself and your background. Do you remember the first movie you watched? Were you enthralled?

I am originally a theater character. During many years I joined some independent theater groups in Chile and in Sweden. But I left the stage because I was a bad actor. Then I started my cinema way doing some documentaries. Then I had a break, and after many years I rediscovered film making and in Spain I started doing documentaries an fiction cinema.

Who are the directors that inspire you? What would be your favourite movie?

My favo directors are, among many, Kurosawa, Carol Reed, Coppola, Scorcese, Hitchkock. My favorite movies will be The Third Man, Seven Samurais, The adventures of baron Munchausen, etc.

Was there a particular time when you recognized that filmmaking is your way of telling stories?

When I was seven years old I saw a reel of Popeye the sailor. Then I knew cinema should be a passion of mine for Life.

What are some of the biggest challenges you encountered in making this film?

The biggest challenge was making this movie with young and unexperienced staff. Their passion for making movies was the reason I chose them.

What were the production realities from casting through editing that you had to accommodate?

From the beginning I had a very clear idea about the movie. But doing it demanded myself to accomodate to a limited budget and lack of proper equipment.

What are the audience reviews of your project?

The reception of DANTE has been positive from the very first shows. Most young people feels that the movie talks about their own situation trying to fit in a world that is more and more hostile to them, Sometimes some part of the young audience identifies itself with that tower as their own prison.

Do you believe that a filmmaker should bring always something original or he/she should stick to classic but cinema styles?

Well, as the great Fellini once said: “everything is written, everything is done… and better!” Maybe it is not a very original idea you need to make a movie, but a new angle to see things.

Do you think that film festivals are playing an important role in filmmaking industry? Why are they necessary? How do you get the most out of them?

Online festivals are a product of this time of social media, but still real, live festivals, have an important role to play in order to motivate emerging producers, directors, actors, and technicians as well in giving them an opportunity to show their work to make contact and create social network in real Life..

What are your future plans in your filmmaking career?

Future plans? I think I am ready to jump into a long format film. I had a very powerful story about two women. Preproduction work is going well. I am very confident that my staff and I will create a nice story.

Thank you for this inspiring interview and for taking the time to honestly answer all the questions. The BIA team wishes you great success with your next projects!