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Your new movie The
Black Pebble - in a few words, what is it about?
On Christmas Eve, at a residence for senior citizens, Vincent learns a
lesson in self forgiveness. What
were your sources of inspiration when writing The
Black Pebble? And is any of it based on personal experiences? Normally
visual images inspire me first and then the story itself follows. None of
it is based on personal experiences, however I can share my initial image.
I had this vision of an elderly man running after a duck in an empty
hallway. I am aware that such a scene never happened in the short film,
however that was the starting point. To
what extent could you actually identify with The
Black Pebble's protagonist Victor? Since I am in my
mid-thirties, it may be difficult to identify with him. Still, Victor is
perhaps how I imagine myself when I reach his age. What can you
tell us about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand? Over
the years I have developed my own individual directing style which I
also adopted in the way I told this story. I have always loved mixing
surrealism with reality, tenderness with brutality. Do
talk about The Black Pebble's
key cast, and why exactly these people?
Simply put, the key cast fit exactly what I was looking for. Stephen
Oliver understood the somewhat cynical humour of Vincent whilst Sue
Scantlebury managed to bring out a perfect marriage of vulnerability and
strength, which was precisely what Gloria’s character needed. A few words
about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
I have
been working with my crew for over ten years now and we have developed a
family-like atmosphere. The vibe is very positive and humorous, which
helps to balance the contrasting dark nature of the stories that I like to
write. The
$64-question of course, where can The
Black Pebble be seen? It is currently being
toured round festivals, but once this is over (by the summer), the short
film can be seen on my YouTube channel (as can my other short films). The
YouTube channel is www.youtube.com/@ChrisZarb
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of The
Black Pebble? So far, the response has been
overwhelmingly positive. To date the short film has won/been nominated in
the following festivals: 1 FINALIST - Oniros Film Awards
(July Edition), USA 2022 2 WINNER, Best Short Film - Experimental/Avant
Garde - Art is Alive Film Festival, USA 2022 3 WINNER, Best
Male Actor (Lead) - Art is Alive Film Festival, USA 2022 4
WINNER, Award of Merit - Best Shorts, USA 2022 5 WINNER,
Honorable Mention - Global Shorts, USA 2022 6 NOMINATION,
Best Director - Art is Alive Film Festival, USA 2022 7
NOMINATION, Best Cinematography - Art is Alive Film Festival, USA
2022 8 OFFICIAL SELECTION - Boden International Film Festival,
Sweden 2022
Any future projects you'd like to
share? I should start filming an other short film in the
beginning of October. My team and myself are also currently looking for a
producer to help us get my second feature length film off the ground.
What got you into filmmaking in the first place,
and did you receive any formal training on the subject? My
passion for film and filmmaking has been a lifelong affair. I have studied
film directing at Met Film School, resulting in B.A. (Hons) from Thames
Valley University, London. I also have a Masters in Film Studies from the
University of Malta. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to The
Black Pebble? Before The
Black Pebble I had done 14 short films and a feature film called
Do Re Mi Fa which won a lot of prestigious accolades and is currently on
such streaming platforms as AppleTV. How would you describe yourself as
a director? I love surrealism, psychology and colours. Even
though I like to tackle topics that are a bit taboo, I try to do so in a
somewhat sensitive manner. I have been working on creating a signature
over the years and I believe that my regular audience recognize this in my
works. Filmmakers who inspire you?
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Feeling lucky?
Want to
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any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results?
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The links below
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Stanley
Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Charlie
Chaplin, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Theodoros Angelopoulos, Park Chan-Wook,
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, to name a few. However, there are many others. Your
favourite movies? A Clockwork Orange (1971), Oldboy
(2003), Life Is Beautiful (1997). ... and of course, films you really
deplore? I don’t really deplore any films as I also enjoy
watching films that would be considered awful. I often perceive these
films as unintentional comedies. Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else? I can be found on Facebook, on IMDb and
YouTube. Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask? Not really, but if there is
a producer who is reading this, likes my style and would be interested in
collaborating with me on my second feature film, please don’t hesitate
to contact me. Thanks for the
interview!
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