REMEMBER

Recently, at the PAZZ 48-hour film festival in Munich, we created a short film in the Drama genre. Another option was sports/game, but as a storyteller who focuses on human emotions, the hero’s journey, and transformation, I prefer films that have a deeper meaning and deliver a message to the audience. So, my team and I chose to stick to drama.

One of the festival rules was to integrate a prop - in this case, a mug. This ensures that the footage is captured within the 48-hour window and that all films have a common element. The mug could be used in any way, which added a fun challenge to the creative process

Finding the right story was our biggest challenge. We brainstormed a lot, tossing around ideas about couple relationships and even the idea of the cup as a superhero. Thanks to the inspiration from our cinematographer and writer, we decided on a more personal topic. I wanted to include a mindfulness message, and that’s how our story, "Remember," emerged.

As the Director and Editor, my personal challenge was the limited prep time, especially during the filming process. Normally, I am a well-prepared filmmaker with a clear structure in my head and on paper, like a storyboard or shooting board. But not this time! We had to improvise a lot. After wrapping up the filming, I found myself recapping the shots in my head, editing the movie in bed before actually starting the real editing. I was concerned that we didn’t have a clear story, so I did some reshoots at night for exterior scenes and in the morning for some beautiful nature shots that you'll see in the film.

Our logline: Constantly distracted, a young man cannot appreciate his tea from a meaningful cup until a memory changes everything.

We had more ideas to make the story clearer using voice-over, but due to the limited timeframe, we decided to keep it simple and a bit mystical, allowing the audience to interpret the meaning themselves. And a side note, Anna also played a role in this film, even if it is not seen clearly... :)

Malek, our actor and writer, brought a very personal touch to this short film. Together with him, we are planning to produce another short film this summer. It will be even more personal.