5Q's w/Niels Bourgonje "Swipe" and "Woodland Cemetery" Director
SWIPE
#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it in less than 140 characters?
'Swipe' is about a girl who notices that she has a match on a dating app with a stranger, despite swiping him to the left moments ago. She starts to fear that the man is dangerously close to her.
#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?
With a title like 'Swipe', you could be dealing with a romantic comedy or maybe even a documentary about the online dating scene. 'Swipe' however is a tense short film, dealing with subject matter that is a little too close for comfort. Harassment is something that is slowly getting more attention, despite the fact that a lot of women have struggled with this pretty much on a daily basis. The online realm gives predators new ways to stalk their prey. With 'Swipe' we want to give the viewer a chilling reminder of very real threats people face every single day. We feel the best examples of horror films have always been about social issues. Whether it's racism (Get Out), bullying (Carrie) or sexual assault (Rosemary's Baby). Because isn't a nightmare even more scary when you feel it isn't too far off from reality?
#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.
I never went to film school, so I guess you could call me a DIY filmmaker. While I make a living directing commercials, I try to make as many narrative short projects as I can. So far I've directed twenty shorts. One of the biggest successes was a short called 'Buddy' which was selected for more than sixty international film festivals including Palm Springs ShortFest. After that I directed films like 'Turn it around' and 'Skogafoss', both selected for more than one hundred film festivals.
#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?
Before 'Swipe' I never made a horror film before. And I can honestly say making 'Swipe' changed my career. I realized how much I love the horror genre. After making 'Swipe' I immediately directed 'Woodland Cemetery' (also playing at Borrego Springs) and currently I'm developing a new horror short, a pilot for a children's horror show and a psychological horror feature film. The horror bug bit me and it's here to stay. After 'Swipe' premiered in Los Angeles, I managed to get an agent and a manager. It's going to be an exciting year.
#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?
I'm currently developing a new psychological horror short and my first feature, which is also a psychological horror film.
WOODLAND CEMETERY
#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it in less than 140 characters?
In 'Woodland Cemetery', a photographer has the assignment to shoot Skogskyrkogarden, a cemetery located in the woods of Stockholm. There she sees an old woman placing a lantern on a grave. When the photographer shoots a picture of this very private moment, she soon finds out that this haunting image is more haunted than she bargained for.
#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?
I think the title gives you a good idea that you're in for something atmospheric and scary. What you might miss however is that we shot the film in Sweden. We figured 'Woodland Cemetery' would be a better title than 'Skogskyrkogården' (which is how you would call the location in Swedish). But just before you think I'm a Swedish filmmaker, I am actually from the Netherlands. Yes, it's very confusing.
#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.
I live and work in the Netherlands, but try to shoot everywhere. I shot 'Skógafoss' in Iceland, 'Deserted' in Los Angeles, 'Swipe' in New York and 'Woodland Cemetery' in Sweden. The last two films are horror, which is a new genre for me.
#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?
Last year I accompanied my girlfriend during one of her assignments. She was asked to shoot Skogskyrkogarden, one of the few cemeteries that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While standing there in the middle of the dense forest, I felt like I was the character in a horror film. Even though the site has a tranquil beauty, it felt wrong to be there. Just the idea of shooting photographs at a graveyard felt macabre. I started to feel like maybe we were taking something with us, while taking the pictures.
I’ve thought a lot about why I decided to tell a horror story in Skogskyrkogarden. The answer is quite simple. I’m attracted to films that try something different and go against genre tropes. In a horror film you would expect a nighttime setting. But I was really interested in telling a scary story set during the daytime. The claustrophobic feel of the dense forest of Skogskyrkogarden gave me a sense of unease. 'Woodland Cemetery' is not about jumpscares, but about giving the viewer the feeling that anything can happen. I’m not interested in blood and gore, but purely in atmosphere. That’s what I love about the horror genre.
#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?
I'm currently developing a new psychological horror short and my first feature, which is also a psychological horror film.
