SPARE! short film, reactions CHICAGO Feedback Festival (interview)
2026 Festival Audience Feedback Videos
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6m 47s
SPARE!, 34min., France
Directed by Jules Cales, Balthazar Ullmann
Phil and Barney, two not-so-smart henchmen of a Mafia organization, stumble across a mysterious box full of money while burying a corpse in the woods. Their night turns to chaos when they decide to spend lavishly this unexpected fortune.
https://instagram.com/spare.lefilm
Get to know filmmaker Jules Cales:
1) What motivated you to make this film?
We weren't very entertained by the new French comedies we saw in theaters, and we didn't really laugh. We felt we could make the kind of film we'd actually want to watch - our type of comedy - with a clear purpose: to entertain an audience through action and comedy.
2) From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Two years.
3) How would you describe your film in two words?
Rural Gangsters.
4) What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
We had to postpone the end of the shoot and raise additional funds to finish the film the way we wanted.
5) There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Distribution. What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
It's between production and post-production. We can't choose.
6) When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
From a very young age, between 7 and 10 years old.
7) What film have you seen the most times in your life?
For Jules: La Cité de la Peur (Alain Chabat). For Balthazar: OSS 117 (Michel Hazanavicius).
8) In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
In a perfect world, we'd love to have Spielberg and Scorsese as producing partners on a film.
9) You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?
It's been good.
10) What is your favorite meal?
For Balthazar: pig's trotters with mashed potatoes, and profiteroles for dessert, at Brasserie Lipp. For Jules: the Majorcan salted pie called coca de trampó.
11) What is next for you? A new film?
We're currently working on the feature-length version of our short film, and we're also developing another short film.
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