Night cap with Antarctica

Interview with Jerouen Ceulebrouck, director of Antarctica

 Tell us a bit more about the story that inspired your film.
My film is a combination of multiple inspirations and my own fantasy. I started off with the idea of making a film about people on the North or South Pole. The contrast between nature and human civilization at its extreme. When I did research on the topic I came across a couple of fantastic true stories about some of the first Antarctic explorers, like the story of the Endurance and Ernest Shackleton who guided his fellow stranded explorers to rescue after surviving two whole years on Antarctica. The picture I use at the end of the film is one of Captain Scott, one of the most famous polar explorers. The picture was taken when he and his small company had reached the South Pole, only to perish on their way back. The photographs of Frank Hurley and Herbert Ponting had a huge impact on how I depicted the environment.

 We get a real sense of the cold they faced and the wind beating down on them. Would you say animation is a particularly useful medium through which to convey this story?
I find that animation often creates a distance between the viewer and the subject. Yet this distance can be used to create a completely new reality where fiction isn’t questioned. Therefore I think this story is better off as an animation, for it was easier to portray nature as a character of its own.

 What would you like to explore next? Are you looking to branch out into feature films?
This might sound cliché, but I’m still trying to find my voice as a filmmaker. Exploring feature films could be a possible option in the future, but it’s too soon at the moment. I would like to develop my skills as an author and be able to work on a couple of my own short projects.

 Any cinematic “coups de cœur” in the past year you’d like to tell us about?
There have been a couple of great films out there this year. The one that has inspired me the most this year was “Captain Fantastic” by Matt Ross. It’s a live-action feature film with a real story to tell. It really inspired me to try and make films that give a lasting impression and give the feeling of having learned a valuable lesson in life.

 If you’ve already been to Clermont-Ferrand, could you share an anecdote from the festival? If not, what are your expectations for this year?
It’s been two years since I’ve been to Clermont-Ferrand and it was just after I came back from an Erasmus in Paris. I was surprised at how huge the festival was, and by the crowds, even after it had started snowing. The fact that my own film is now playing here is incredible and I’m really thankful.

 “Antarctica” will be screened at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival as part of the International Competition. Are any other releases scheduled?
I haven’t started working on new work for the moment. I always need some breathing time after finishing a project but I hope to be starting soon.

 Are you taking part in other events during the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival? (Espressos, conferences or other?)
I am coming to the festival but I don’t have any plans yet. I’ll see where it takes me.

Antarctica is being shown in International Competition I1.