Interview with Filmmaker Eleni Rivera (LOVE IN SEASONS)

LOVE IN SEASONS was the winner of BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY at the January 2020 Romance Festival in Los Angeles.

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Eleni Rivera: After years of being an assistant to some amazing director’s and producer’s, I was ready to do my own thing. To have my own project. One day I woke up and said, I’m finally doing this. Two weeks later, we were on set shooting!

That’s what I wanted the project to be, and I really felt like it was a story many people have gone through, and I wanted to tell it.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short?

I wrote the script in January 2018. It took a while for me to get the courage to actually shoot the film so I finally ended up deciding to shoot it in March 2019.

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

Tragically Romantic

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

I was planning on having two days to shoot the short, but my Director of Photography had a family emergency which only gave us one day to shoot the entire thing. We had to take out a few scenes that we had planned on shooting and really make it happen!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

My initial reaction was endearment and excitement. The feedback was incredibly positive and it makes me excited for my future projects.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

6. How did you come up with the idea for this short film?

When I wrote this film, I was going through a decently heavy break up and overall hard time in my life. The relationship started in the fall and by the time it ended it snowfall in December. At that time, I was writing poetry, (I even self published a book of poems) and I wanted to create a poetic visual. Something that was soft and lyrical, but powerful. In the spring time, I finally finished the ending realizing that it was the most cliche of things. Time had healed my heart, and it was myself that did the healing.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

My most watched film has to be… The Shining by Stanley Kubrick.

8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway, what are your feelings of the submission platform from a filmmaker’s perspective?

It was such a user friendly platform and I feel like there was so much support.

9. What song have you listened to the most times in your life?

Married Life by Michael Giacchino (From “UP” the movie)

10. What is next for you? A new film?

Yes! I am co-directing a short film in April 2020. It is a grounded sci-fi with a lot of hope and heart.