EXTREME GRAVITY, 7min., Spain
Directed by Lorenzo Ayuso
What would be the worst thing that could happen to you when trying to kill yourself? It is said that dying is not the worst, but the way you die, and Camilo is about to find out how much of that is true.

https://lorenzoayuso.com/filmografia/extrema-gravedad-2023/
https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo_ayuso/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I always have doubts about whether or not I want people to know about the motivation behind 'Extreme Gravity'. It's not that I want to hide it at all, but the origins start with me being in a very dark place. I've been struggling with depression for about 15 years, with ups and downs all down the road, but I was at my lowest point around 2018-2019. As a part of trying to take some perspective and distance myself from every negative thought that came through my mind, I decided to write something as a form of cathartic experience, putting myself at the worst possible scenario and trying to subvert it and find the humor and the absurdity in it. A question popped up into my head: “What would be the worst thing that could happen if someone wanted to commit suicide?”. I love Kenneth Anger's 'Hollywood Babylon', especially when he digresses about the fading stars who wanted to die on their own terms, making it a big deal out of it, but failed tragically and miserably... That inspired me to create this story about a guy willing to make a big finale that goes incredibly wrong. And in this particular time, in which everyone feels the need to record everything and post it on social media to make sure it exists, this finale should be taped in order to be seen as much as possible, hence the idea of someone recording or streaming his suicide in one shot. That would also lead to playing with the internal pacing of a single shot, and create an exciting challenge.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Well, it was quite a long time to finish the movie! I wrote the first draft around spring 2019, and we were pretty much ready to shoot it on April 2020. But the pandemic happened, and the project was put on hold for more than a year. When we finally rolled cameras in August 2021, we thought that we had left the worst behind us, but little did we know. We had to endure a number of problems during the post-production, and even the original production company disbanded... There was a moment when I thought 'Extreme Gravity' would never see the light of day... I really thought the project was doomed and done for good. Luckily, we bounced back and managed to keep it alive and finished it two years after shooting. It was an extremely difficult situation, but after that, this film has brought nothing but good things to me and the cast and crew.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Like I said, we had our fair share of obstacles at every stage of production. Post-production was particularly difficult for us. A close friend and collaborator was having health problems and had to leave the project with her work halfway done... We found another artist to finish her work, this individual compromised to do it in a short time... but he disappeared with the material for almost a year for no reason! He eventually reappeared and tried to make amends, but what he presented to us was unusable. By the time we got everything back, my colleague was fully recovered and was able to get back on track. It was discouraging, but I'm glad everything worked out in the end.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I loved it! Listening to their thoughful comments on the film made me feel that it really worked, that the drama felt believable and the twist worked. I'm also really proud of my lead actor, Álvaro Márquez, and was really happy that his performance received great reviews.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Honestly, I can't remember a moment in my life when I didn't want to be a filmmaker; well, when I was 6 years old, I really wanted to be a Ninja Turtle, but I don't think that counts... Anyway, I think the turning point, the moment I realized that I had to make movies, was when I was 13, after I saw Antonia Bird's 'Ravenous' on VHS. Now it has become a cult classic but when it was released it was quite a box office flop, with little to no promotion, and I can't remember what made me want to see it. And, boy, did I love it! I was amazed by the mix of genres and tones, western and horror, with some dark comedy... That movie helped me to understand the countless possibilities of storytelling and convinced me to dedicate my life to telling my own stories in such bold ways.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
That's a tough one! I could narrow it down to two, both coincidentally from the year I was born: Predator and Evil Dead 2. I vividly remember the day I saw the latter for the first time and how it impressed me: I was so shocked when I finished it that I immediately watched it again!

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I think the most important thing is to maintain the relationship between the artists and the audience, and between the artists themselves. Not just for the sake of networking, but to create a cool community that helps filmmakers stay on track, keep on working and growing.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
It's been mostly good, but as is often the case in this industry, you learn as you go along. I was really naive when I first started self-distributing my films, and I didn't consider the possibility that someone was just creating the illusion of a festival to make money off of filmmakers who were eager to get visibility and maybe a quick selection. So I fell on a few of these illegitimate festivals over the years using FilmFreeway. That made me more cautious. There are many dubious festivals out there, and on the other platforms as well: maybe now it's harder to spot them now, with the advent of IA, but it's a matter of not being impulsive and doing a little research before you invest and submit your films.

10. What is your favorite meal?
I'm getting hungry just by thinking what to answer... I would say a good bowl of yakisoba! I love Japanese food.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
The near future is luckily quite packed! My first book will be on the streets in a matter of weeks in Spain, so I'll be busy promoting it: it's called 'Van Damme, el héroe de Vitruvio' (translated: 'Van Damme, The Vitruvian Hero') and it's an essay on the complete filmography of Jean-Claude Van Damme and his impact on martial art cinema. There are also some other collective books on cinema that I have contributed to that will be coming out soon. Besides this, I have various music videos waiting on my schedule, and a couple of short films also waiting to be fully funded... And I'm slowly but steadily working on me first feature lenght film, which will have some elements in common with 'Extreme Gravity'. It will basically be a found footage horror movie and I'm really excited about it!