A man from Nice shoots a horror film in a forest in Sospel

Sospel, a municipality conducive to the filming of a horror film? This is what Chris Conti estimated, for the realization of his short film, dusk. Because, after producing two short films (Forever Love and The Sandman) indoors, the 36-year-old filmmaker wanted to try out a more natural setting for his third creation.

“I live in Nice, where there aren’t really any forests. So the idea was to find one in the area, explains the director. That’s why we turned to Sospel.”

Thus, the shooting was held at the end of last year, for two days, with two professional actors: Fanny Carbonnel (French who appeared in Fantastic Beasts, by David Yates and Ready Player One by Steven Spielberg) and Joshua Stretton (British , from London). International players, who made it possible to film dusk in English.

A forest without geographical landmarks

Fanny Carbonnel and Joshua Stretton played a couple, stalked by “something he can’t see” and lost in the middle of nowhere. “The forest of Sospel was interesting for that, because we needed a place which does not have precise geographical marks, underlines the thirty-something. In this way, the viewer can confuse it with any other forest and better understand the feelings of the characters.”

However, filming outdoors also brought some challenges, including weather…”Until now, my short films were made indoors, so it was easy, admits Chris Conti. There, in nature, we had to deal with the weather.”

A constraint, which the 30-year-old has been able to transform into an asset: “This gives another aesthetic and a different energy to the film. It’s a challenge that inspires creation.”

A film sent to festivals

Categorized as horror, the film can also “be identified as a psychological drama.” “I like genre cinema. It’s the one that speaks to me the most, develops the Niçois. It makes it possible to approach psychological themes that are difficult to portray and to play with the perception of reality.”

So, to stay with this idea, the 30-year-old has decided not to include special effects in his short film, which is currently in post-production. Within two months, it should be finished.

However, it will not be posted immediately on Chris Conti’s YouTube page, unlike his two previous films. “I plan to send it to several festivals first, hoping to walk away with a prize, he specifies. Its release on my channel will therefore depend on its success.

A success that would perhaps allow the Niçois to make Dusk a feature film (as was originally planned) and to get in touch with producers interested in his work.

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Chris Conti also shoots commercial productions with his audiovisual company, Moka.
More information on chrisconti.com.