Movie Name: Psycho Lovers
Director’s Name: Sergio Hogosha
Hello Sergio! Welcome to SIFF!
1. As a first-time filmmaker, how are you feeling right now? Share your thoughts with us!
I’m beyond excited to see the great response my first film’s been having so far, For me, it’s been mixed with a bit of sadness for not being able to attend the screenings in person for not being able to be personally at the screenings or not knowing how to make the most of the opportunities offered by winning these awards and nominations. The future feels bright and full of challenges that I am willing to face with the help of my team. Hopefully it will happen (like in a Hollywood movie) that some film industry insider will suddenly pop-up to believe in my team and me and supports us to reach and appear and believes in me and my team to help us to reach greener pastures.
2. While you are only 30 years old, you are directing as well as acting, so what interests you most?
The first thing that comes to mind when I am asked “What am I?” is… I am an actor, my career is in acting and not directing. This second discipline has appeared in my life due to vital needs. The acting scene in Spain, where I am from, is very difficult and life has led me to create my own projects and set my professional course. I have loved acting since I was a child and this is the first film that I have ever directed at a more professional level… I have also directed theater… I have been doing it at a professional level for 4 years, but I consider that I still have a lot to learn. However, considering the public’s feedback I’m starting to realize that I might be a better director than actor, even though it hurts my ego.
3. Do you wish to pursue acting or just be a director, writer, and procedure in the world of filmmaking?
I would love to be able to do everything, not always of course. But I think it is my path. Writing stories that are interesting to people, telling them in my own way, supporting My storytelling through my performance, enjoying the experience of filming inside and out and of course striving to make The filmmaking process a safe and fun place for the team that works so hard to bring my ideas forward. I have a couple of projects in mind that will set my production company, Hogosha (which means protector in Japanese), to take off in the industry. Once I have done this I would love to jump into the professional world just as an actor and from time to time, when my instinct tells me to go back to directing and writing something, not necessarily having to act.
4.What made you write this story? Was there any creative inspiration, or was it just your imaginative mind creating this masterpiece?
I don’t consider it a masterpiece, but possibly a good work As a full time actor / just as a performer. Perhaps my main inspiration comes from the effort of our whole team.” But yes, many things inspired this work. First, the desire to be able to do something with my classmates, all great professionals but still unable to make a living from the business due to the difficulties of the industry in our country. Secondly… I wanted to convey in some way how I felt at that moment with my, by that time, partner, who turned my world upside down and filled me with energy every day. I think that energy and vibration can be felt when watching “Psycho Lovers.” Lastly, all the low-budget cinema that I have always liked so much, Passionate, sincere, honest as well as hilarious cinema. It is, in a way, a love poem to that type of cinematographic piece.
5. Were there any challenges that you faced when directing and acting in this movie?
My biggest challenge Came with acting, since I didn’t have the same preparation time as the rest of the cast. As a director I had I was in the position to oversee and organize everything in the set, and a second later I would be shouting action and jumping into character. It wasn’t a clean change of focus, the director in me would still be behind my ear, whispering: “could you move this focus a little more, the camera hasn’t moved as it was prepared…” All while enduring acting and killing Nazis!
6. What are your feelings about these two psycho lovers? Do you just consider this movie to be a light-hearted rom-com or more than that?
I adore these characters, I love them despite being social killers hahaha. But yes, I think they are a very endearing couple and I think we can learn a lot from them as a couple. I don’t consider the film to be just a romantic and happy comedy with touches of gore. Obviously that is the first layer, one that doesn’t take itself seriously so that the low budget doesn’t attack the narration or the editing. However, I do consider there’s a lot more to it. For example There is an exploration of power dynamics, from submission to domination. This couple fights against power dynamics that lack mutual respect and consent at their core. The importance and nuances of that respect constitute the final message of the film. I would like to highlight one last, personal, layer of meaning, which is that with a good team, affection and love for this art medium, you can create great stories with very little. Respecting the rights and the artists themselves involved, something that at least here in Spain is often Overlooked
7. Do you think there was true love between the couple?
Of course, at the end of the day this story is born from the feeling of true love that I experienced. I think their relationship is the most real thing in the footage… They love each other very deeply because, out of everyone, they are the only ones capable of understanding and respecting each other as they are. They have different opinions and they share them but they never attack each other… I think their love is very interesting because despite living in a reality full of murders and bad people, they are always there to support each other and feel that their ship will never sink ,taking us away from the toxic love often found in most popular stories we grow up with”. Even if no one else understands their love. They will go to the end of the world and make an Armageddon if necessary for each other. I think that is something very beautiful.
8. What are your future plans in filmmaking?
Well, I have a lot of plans, some will end up being made and others won’t. It all depends on the universe hahaha. But I hope that this project will be an interesting leap in my career because of how well it’s doing at festivals and I hope to be able to get funding for new projects that I have in mind. One of the would be “Psycho Lovers 2″ for example. I would also like to work for a while as an actor in a Bigger production. I have loved the audiovisual world in all its formats since I was little and I hope to gradually achieve the goals that I have had since then.
9. Are you working on any other projects?
Yes, I am working on a short film in honor of my grandparents for a specific festival that will be held at the end of October. Another project that fills me with excitement is the preparation of my next play, Based on my latest book “The Moral Trilogy”, where I explore the ritualistic nature of theater. I will also be lucky enough to be soon participating in a series of comedy plays created by a group of friends from the theater scene. It does not yet have a title, but it will be exhilarating.
10. Which genre of movie interests you the most?
As a public, I like a bit of everything. To relax, I always watch action and adventure films. I’m very picky with the dramas I watch, but I always get it right… I’m also a big fan of experimental cinema, although I find fewer and fewer films of this style that really don’t work for me lately. I also really like humor, but I need it to be closer to Z-rated or R-rated cinema. I really like playing with the forbidden, the taboo… I enjoy stories capable of boldly pushing moral and social boundaries.
11. Did you like working with us? How was your experience with SIFF?
Of course!!!I wish I could have been at the festival in person and enjoyed the experience 100%, but we live very far away and it was difficult for us financially. Even so, I felt very, very close to you because of the good direct communication we’ve had. I was also very excited to know that we were nominated because I love the country of Sweden and for me it is like bringing a little bit of that country into my career, into my life and having a place in my heart (She sheds a tear for being cheesy).
