EOSPHERE, 16min., Canada
Directed by Kolton Alexander Nowaczynski

https://www.instagram.com/eospherefilm/

Director Statement
I love creating and telling simple narratives with complex characters that expose our perfect imperfections.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I was motivated to create Eosphere because it was a passion project of mine to learn vfx and meld my love of animation and live action filmmaking. The inception of the film was from a popular video game series called League of legends. There's a character named Orianna and the backstory of her character is that she is a robotic rendition of a scientists daughter. That idea really resonated with me. Why would someone go to the lengths of creating something to replace their daughter? How did they lose their child? And how does that robot help the scientist? Applying that to personal family matters and dealing with guilt in my life, Eosphere transformed into a family movie showcasing a parents love for their child and a reminder of the child to let their parent to continue moving on.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Initially I pitched the idea to Telus' storyhive in 2015. After not receiving the grant I was definitely demoralized to continue, but I realized how much of a blessing in disguise it was. Looking back I 100% did not have the technical "know how" to execute the film the way I would have wanted to. On and off I didn't complete the project till 2022, with filming occurring during 2019-2020.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Heart wrenching!

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Definitely the technical aspect of the vfx! I made the movie predominantly by myself and having to do 70 vfx shots is no laughing matter. For a frame of reference, a team of people can work months or years on a show that has around that many shots. Seeing as the vfx and post processing took me 3 years of work it goes to show how much of a team effort making films is.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

Honestly I was incredibly scared to watch them. I had to ask friends and family to tell me what people were saying. Maybe it's personal insecurities or nervousness but after putting years of work into something it's pretty daunting to show that work to others. Although, hearing all the positive reactions and feedback was amazing. I'm glad people really enjoyed my film and I'm so excited to continue to share it to others. What's the saying? "Once a piece of work is out to the public it's no longer yours?"

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

Ever since I was young! I even did some child acting when I was younger, remember the Air Bud talking dog movies? Yeah I was a bully hockey player in "Snow buddies." I had to learn how to skate in 2 weeks to get that role, good times aha. But ultimately animation was my passion growing up. I remember watching Pixar and Dreamworks movies late up at night and falling asleep to the bonus features! Having worked in the animation and vfx industry for the past 7 years I've managed to hone and improve my eye for composing quality imagery like the Oscar winning "Spider-Man into the spiderverse," Oscar nominated "The Sea Beast," and DC's "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." I hope that my experience working films and tv shows will improve myself to become a better director later down the line!

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

The most? Oh my, either Shrek, the Incredibles, or Finding Nemo. I can recite almost every line from those films aha.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Getting in touch with people in the industry who would be willing to allow us to shadow them or having the ability to talk with publishers to learn how I can improve my reach!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It's been great! Everything is quite straight forward aha.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Jellybeans.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I have several shorts written and in the works! One horror, one Sci-fi and another a comedy! I also have a sci-fi/horror thriller feature written and ready to pitch anytime! I'm definitely beaming with ideas and ready to execute them. If you liked my film Eosphere I would love to work with anyone who would collaborate on helping me with create future works!