1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I wasn't really into movies growing up until I had a great teacher in high-school who made me discover a bunch of recent and old amazing films. He completely expanded my views on what cinema is. I had no idea indie films were even a thing. There was only one theater where I grew up in France with all the big productions playing (dubbed!) and nothing else. From then on I really dove in, went to school for editing and got my start in the industry through post.

2) What was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

The idea started after a conversation with a school counselor and her stories about lockdown drills. It felt surreal that those intense training sessions are becoming normal for kids. Added to that, the absurd idea of arming teachers was floating around so I wanted to explore what that daily life would be for teachers and students. We wanted to make a nuanced piece, have the viewer watch the day unfold, with some ironic and some serious moments so we felt like mockumentary was the best way to do all that.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?

The obvious answer would be filming all the scenes with three adults and 15 kids all interacting - in one day - without rehearsal. But writing the script was the biggest challenge. Talking about such a serious topic, while trying to put a twist on it to make a compelling short was very complex.

I come from post so everything past the shoot was a blast. That's the first time you truly see if all this work culminates to an actual film or just a bunch of scenes.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

Beanpole by Kantemir Balagov. I found it incredibly moving and powerful, very nuanced, with conflicting emotions throughout and beautiful characters. Then I found out the guy who directed it is 28 and went on to question my whole career for a few days.

5) What’s next for you?

I was in pre-pro of my next short when covid hit so I am hoping to film that one over the summer now and I am writing a script for what I hope to be my first feature.

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