Andreas Avgousti
1. Your film Petra is just entered in our PIMFF competition. How
was the
film
inspired?
Firstly,
I would like to thank you for selecting ‘Petra’ for your festival
and for the two awards we
received! The
film was initially inspired by Greek folklore; the story of goblin
like creatures called
‘Kalikantzaroi’
and how they live in the tree of life but once a year they will
return and seek a
special
child born on a Saturday between Christmas Day and Epiphany Day. They
will mark the
baby
and then will wait until adulthood when this person would eventually
become like them. I
decided
very early that I didn’t want to make a folklore film but took
inspiration from it and wrote
the
story of Petra who in similar manner was marked as a baby and upon
her return to her birth
house
she slowly descents into mental darkness.
2.
Your film was budget 11k €. How did the filming process go? What
was
challenging during filming?
‘Petra’
was the biggest production this far in my career as a filmmaker. We
were fortunate enough to find
this fantastic location for free (Shoutout to the Ministry of Health
that owns the house). Due to budget
restrictions we had to film Petra in just three days which came with
its challenges but thinking
back now I can say things run very smoothly. Furthermore, I teamed up
with a local production
company called ‘Geekotopos’ who made the pre-production process a
lot easier and introduced
me to a lot of insanely talented filmmakers!
3.
Tell us about your background and when did you decide to become a
filmmaker?
I was
born and raised in Limassol, Cyprus and I loved watching Horror films
and films in general
from
a very young age. With a long background in Art and my love for the
cinema I decided to
study
about film at the University of Glasgow and then did a Masters degree
for Directing at Met
Film
School in London. When I applied for university I thought I would
study Business
Management
cause at the time felt like the reasonable thing to do. However,
after the madness of
final
exams and graduation I had to enrol in the army. During my two year
National Service I had
more
time to think things over and realised that I wanted to follow the
path of Film Studies; and I
eventually
did!
4.
Films that inspired you to become a filmmaker?
There
are several films I could start listing but hands down the film that
inspired me to become a
Filmmaker
was 1960’s Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. It was a film I watched at a
very young age and then
revisited it in university of which I also wrote my thesis on. I love
its aesthetic and music
especially
but mostly I remember feeling very curious about the way it was
filmed and wanted to
read
everything about it. To this day, Psycho is one of my favourite films
as it defined the Horror
genre
as we know it today.
5.
Who is your biggest influence?
Since
I started making films, my biggest influence has been Director James
Wan. His filmography
is
packed with one great Horror film after the other. His film Insidious
greatly influenced my last
two
films. I like many directors but James Wan is definitely the one
whose films have influenced
me
the most.
6.
Do you have a favourite genre to work in? Why is it your favourite?
You
have probably noticed by now that I talk about Horror films a lot and
that’s because it’s hands
down
my favourite genre as a filmmaker and a viewer. My aim is to focus on
the Horror genre and
all
its sub-genres such as Psychological Thriller, Slasher Horror and
Supernatural/Fantasy Horror. I feel
like, with horror films the possibilities are endless because you can
pretty much create your
own
rules. It’s a genre I absolutely love to watch so as a filmmaker, I
often put on the viewer’s hat
and
think what I would love to see in a horror film and I try to recreate
it in film.
7. What’s your all-time favourite movie and why?
I
feel like my all-time favourite movie always changes. The Horror
genre has been going through a
renaissance
at the moment and every great new film challenges its predecessor. I
would say some of my
favourite films from the last decade are ‘Get Out’, ‘Hereditary’,
Midsommar, The Conjuring 2 and
Insidious. Each of them for different reasons of course but one thing
they all have in common is the
captivating story, insanely interesting characters and great
performances!
8.
If you could work with anyone in the world, who would that person be?
If I
am ever that lucky, I would love the chance to work with Julianne
Moore. She is one of my all
time
favourite actress! She has done it all and every film she is in, she
embodies the character she is portraying;
whether that is a science fiction film or a fantasy, a surreal film
or a heart crushing
drama
film.
9.
What was the most important lesson you had to learn as filmmaker?
The
most important lesson I had to learn as a filmmaker is to be
organised and prepared before
shooting
so I can be present during, and enjoy the experience! During filming,
I used to be stressed and I
was always overthinking things because I wasn’t truly confident
that I was ready to film. I have
learned to be as organised and prepared as possible and to really
enjoy the process and be present!
10.
What keeps you motivated?
The
one thing that aways keeps me motivated is cinema itself! A great
film will inspire me and
motivate
me to go home and write my own script or a short story, sketch or
paint. It’s a great
feeling!
In similar manner, whenever I complete a project that I am happy
about, I am always filled
with
fresh motivation for the next one!
11. How has your style evolved?
I
feel like it’s still a bit early in my career to answer this
question. However, if there is one thing that has
changed within my own personal style is the type of scares I want to
film. Even if I compare Petra
to my previous film Forget Me Not, I find the scares a little bit
more subtle and this is something
I definitely want to focus more and improve on my next projects. By
doing so, I am
simultaneously
improving the level of writing as the film itself becomes scarier
without the use of excessive
scares.
12.
The project(s) you’re most proud of…
I
know everyone says this, but I am proud of every single film I
directed and worked in; from the film
school projects to my own films. The project I am most proud of is
admittedly Petra. A few
months
prior to filming and most importantly the week before filming I had
to overcome a lot in my personal
life and I really had to push through and focus on preparing for
filming. I remember feeling
really stressed and had constant panic attacks that had nothing to do
with the film. It was a really
difficult time and I am truly proud for the finished film!
13.
The most challenging project you worked on. And why?
Three
words come in mind; Forget Me Not. During filming, I had a lot of
help from a truly incredible
crew and cast, so the shoot itself was smooth sailing compared to
everything else surrounding
pre-production and mainly the financial side of things. I was an
unemployed student at the
time of shooting Forget Me Not and with a tiny budget at hand I had
to find clever solutions for moving
all the equipment and all the props, locations, renting equipment
etc. It was also very physically
exhausting as I wasn’t just directing the film, I was producing it
and I found myself cooking
lunches the night before the shoot, carrying rented equipment for
miles and taking multiple cab
rides between locations to move everything. Moreover, I had a tough
time getting all the permits
for filming in London and I was so happy when I eventually managed to
get them in time for
the shoot. Overall, a very challenging time but at the same time I am
happy with the way things turnout.
14.
What are your short term and long term career goals?
Right
now I am working on two short films; both horrors with one been a
micro short film and the other
a medium length film. I am currently in pre production for both
shorts and I am looking
forward
filming them! As for long term career goals; I would love to get the
chance to create my own
anthology series. I have a few ideas I think would work great and
some I even attempted to convert
into a script.
15.
Your next projects?
Like I mentioned earlier, I am currently working on two short films. As of now, I plan to shoot the micro horror film first by the end of April 2021. Hopefully this will be allowed with the ongoing pandemic restrictions but I am hopeful that it will all workout. The next film will hopefully be a much bigger project as it will involve more shoot days, a larger cast and more locations. I am aiming to film the second project by September 2021. Wish us luck!