Interview with Filmmaker Richard Marx (ABSENCE)

ABSENCE was the winner of BEST SCI-FI Film at the October 2020 Sci-Fi Film Festival.

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I am a filmmaker from the childhood. I always carry some ideas with me which i would love to put into a movie. I like creating new worlds and howideas starts to live.

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

It took me almost 6 years to finish it. I had some issues with the VFX in the movie and a lack of money after shooting. then i had literally no time.

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

Absence (of) Love

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

The VFX and the sound design where the biggest for me, both needed to be great.

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

I was very pleased about it. So amazing to see all this different reactions. I was also very glad how they tried to interpret the movie in their own way, which led to a lot of different intepretations.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

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

I was always wondering about the difficulties of love and no-love. The present and absence of people. This somehow led me to this idea.

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

I guess the most i have seen STALKER fro Andrey Tarkovsky. It influenced me very much in my teen time.

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

From this perspective FilmFreeway is a very good tool to find quick festivals in which this movie could fit, espescially if it is, like in my case, some sort of genre movie. Also that you only fill out one all necessary informations about the movie for application makes it much more comfortable to submit.

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

Viktor Zoi – Peremen (change)

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

Definitely. I am mostly working as cinematographer but since beginning of this year i am planning to make an essay-movie about the Gulag in Russia and the cosmic-utopies of Nikolai Fyodorov. It will be about human nature which outbounds borders – naturals, social and governmental.