What inspires your work?

I am inspired by the sea, island and northern landscapes and ecosystems, natural sciences, and osteology.

​

What films did you watch as a child?

I mainly watched cartoons, science fiction films, fantasy films and romantic comedies.

​

What directors have influenced your work?

It's difficult to say, because I didn't watch experimental films before I started making them. And I've also always watched a lot of films, in many different genres, so that has inevitably had an impact on my work, but it's difficult to measure.

​

What is one film that you think everyone should watch? And why?

"Promising Young Woman" by Emerald Fennell. It's an important film that tackles the mechanism of systemic sexual violence head-on and realistically. I also appreciate the risks she took with the cinematography and sets. Impressive for a first feature.

​

If you could adapt any book/play/piece of literature, which would it be?

I am currently working on a very loose adaptation of Sheridan Le Fany's "Carmilla", a 19th-century fantasy novel about lesbianism and vampires. It is truly surprising that a Scottish novel featuring a lesbian love story was published in the 19th century. However, the ending is clearly lesbophobic, and I wanted to change it.

​

Who are your favourite writers? (this could be from any format - script, books, poetry etc.)

I read everything, but in recent years I have particularly enjoyed Peter May's Scottish novels.

​

Name a film score that makes you feel something.

The soundtrack to "28 Days Later". It's still in my mind, 23 years after the film's release.

​

Who is an actor that you would love to work with?

Cillian Murphy, without a doubt, and Emma Corrin (yes, I know, two different vibes).

​

What was the last film you watched? (and would you recommend it?)

"One battle after another" by Paul Thomas Anderson. I liked a lot of things about this film: the treatment of the main characters, the treatment of the far-right characters, the way systemic racism is dealt with, the fact that Paul Anderson used his experience as a white father of black children to build the character of Leo, the cinematography. However, I find it shocking that Leonardo DiCaprio was cast in this kind of political film, given his recent actions. Ultimately, the film is not that radical in its approach.

​

What is next for you?

I'm working on a short film that will be an adaptation of "Carmilla", but it's still in the script stage at the moment. I'm also in post-production on a short film about extinct species in the Faroe Islands, which I shot there during a residency in April. It's a bit of a continuation of what I did with "Chasing Whales", my film screened at Starling.

​

​​

​

​

 

​Tell us about your film Chasing Whales?  What`s it all about?

Chasing Whales is my journey in search of cetaceans and cetacean artefacts in Northern Europe. It questions the fragility of our relationship with these giants, current whaling practices inherited from subsistence behaviour, human impact on marine ecosystems and the future.

 

Can you tell us about the creative process in making your film? What drew you to this project?

The film was shot on 35 mm film using a small hand-cranked camera, and the film was modified using chemicals. It's a very artisanal work, as everything is done by hand by myself in my workshop. The structure of the film and the narrative were created after I obtained the images for the film. It's a very personal project, both in form and content.

​

How long does a film like Chasing Whales take to make? 

It took me two years: the time to shoot in the Faroe Islands, then in the Hebrides, then to develop the images, start writing the narrative, edit the footage and create the sound design.

​

What challenges did you encounter?

It's a self-financed project, so it's very solitary, and you have to be able to do everything yourself. It takes a lot of time and energy. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have Elisa Monteil for the sound design and music, and Swann Agnelli to produce a magnificent English translation of the text. But yes, money and time are always the main challenges in this kind of project.

​

Do you have a favourite moment when filming/creating Chasing Whales?

Each stage is both enjoyable and challenging. But I think I preferred the trips during which the filming took place. And the end is very rewarding when everything finally falls into place.

​

How was working with your cast and crew? Do you have any stand out moments?

It was easy to work with this small team. Elisa and Swann know me and knew my needs, so it was very pleasant to work with them. As for the cast... it's my partner. It was great to be able to include him in the project.

​

Can you tell us more about the sound/production/costume design of your film? 

There was no costume design; we wore our everyday clothes. As for the sound, I gave Elisa carte blanche, giving her only the band Sigur Rós and slightly disturbing sci-fi film music as guidelines. I think she understood the film's themes very well, between wonder and eco-anxiety. She had the idea of creating this voice as if it were being heard on a boat's radio, with all the sounds that might come from the sea, its coastal areas or even a whaling station. I was really charmed by it.

​

Where did you get the inspiration when creating Chasing Whales? 

The inspiration comes from my travels and my former profession, zooarchaeology (which is why I talk about reading bones in the film). The initial ideas behind this project came from two trips to Norway in 2018 and 2021 (to the Varanger Peninsula, then to Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands), where I came across whale bones. The size of a human next to one of these giant skulls on the beach is just mind-blowing, and it's something that has stayed with me ever since.

​

Were there any films that inspired you when creating Chasing Whales?

I had Alexis Destoop's "Northern Drift" in mind, which I had discovered at the IFFR.

​

What have you learnt from making Chasing Whales? Would you do anything differently next time?

Yes, I think I need to let my images speak for themselves more and not bombard the viewer with text.