MEET YOUR LOCAL YURU-CHARA was the winner of Best Performances at the January 2022 Black & White Film Festival.
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I got the idéa after attending a town festival in Japan and started thinking about yuru-chara, japanese mascots. For a while I just kept reading about yuru-chara, looking at pictures of yuru-chara and buying every book about them I could find. Then I thought, what if my home town, a mining town that doesn’t really appreciate any kind of expression of art, had a yuru-chara, and that story is the film.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
About 5 years.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
I can’t
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
I wanted a particular light and mood that you only get during midnight sun in summer, unfortunately the first summer we didn’t get enough sunny nights, so we had to wait until next summer to complete the film.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It’s always nice to get feedback and hear what people think. In Sweden usually you never tell anyone what you think of their films (unless you are really close), so I rarely get feedback here. One guy in the video completely got what the short is about, that was a great to hear.
Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When I was a kid. My family couldn’t afford a videocamera, but I did flip book animations and worked during summer to save up to an Amiga home computer that I could make animations on.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Maybe A Nightmare before Christmas or Raiders of the lost ark.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I have no idea.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Good
10. What is your favorite meal?
Tofu or hamburger
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I’m working on an animated short film about a girl that gets lost in space.
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 