Stories are part of our life. As a human we love stories, we love to tell stories to others. Filmmaking is a remarkable journey of storytelling. Complete teamwork for the film and bring the story to real life. The character, the expression, the light, camera each of the things are all part of this massive storytelling. The person who works behind this storytelling is the director. Directors made the perfect plan and made it real for the audience. Filmmaking is undoubtedly teamwork, but without a talented director, it can all go in vain. Yes, we need a story, but a good director knows how to transform stories into life, make it real for the viewer, let them feel the thrill as if it is accurate.
Alex Kinter is such a talented director, passionate, knowledgeable and very gifted in his field. He knows how to give life to a story and make it so engaging and thrilling. Recently he has made such an incredible short independent mood film Poolside. He wins 20 international laurels for Poolside from the prestigious international movie festivals. Poolside also received the “Best Short Film” award by Indie Short fest, which is an affiliate of the Los Angeles International Film Festival, New York Movie Awards and Art Film Awards. We are lucky to have Alex Kinter with us for the interview. We are thrilled to get such a talented director with us. He shared his feelings, thoughts and some of the behind stories of the movie Poolside.
How did you start your film career?
It all started in my childhood. I was really attached to action sports and art from my early age. Gradually, I became involved with graphics, computers and web development. They are my first step towards a film career. I really felt great for the creative industry. It’s like starting to feel something great when you can actually make something on your own. No matter if it is simple graphics or a website. All those things made me happy. I was heavily involved with them. I feel so passionate. So I joined the Art direction and Photography course. I learned a lot from there, and that paved my way to the film career. Though I started in cinematography gradually, I got involved in directing music videos, commercials productions and so on.
That’s a great journey! Now tell us about the Poolside, not the spoiler, but what is the main theme of this movie?
This is a short independent thriller movie. The movie is all about a rich housewife who discovers a haunted feeling in the poolside. She felt really hard to maintain her sanity and got distressed when she heard voices underwater. So, she decided to find the source of the voice. Along with the suspense, you will get to see the emotion of a lady who struggles with her own darkness and how it is entangled and perceived by others.
What inspires you to make this movie?
Well, that’s a very good question. I always wanted to make a film that touched the mind and the soul and gave a completely honest and human feeling. The story shows the individual feelings that come with suspense and thriller. The audience can feel the inner struggle of a human both mentally and emotionally to cope with our societal pressure. It’s all about us, or around us, when we really struggle to maintain both our sanity and emotions. I believe this movie will give a unique experience to the audience through the lead character with her special journey of self-realization.
The movie itself is a journey. All directors have to face lots of challenges while making their movie. Did you face any?
Movie making is a journey. Poolside is a symbolic form from both sides. So part of what makes this project a tragic one is because my co-director and film partner and friend Erik Schuessler unfortunately passed away during the post-production from a rare form of cancer. It was a huge blow to all of us who personally new him. The film itself is also a tragic mystery/thriller. Also, the lockdowns came in because of covid, and the video editing workstation went out. The producers got together, and we got another Mac Pro editing station in order to render the final version of the film. It was difficult also to finish the film without Erik because he was such an integral part of the film, and emotionally it was difficult to finish the film without my friend. It has been quite a journey.
Poolside has now received so many official selections, awards and nominations. The complete list is shown below:
Awards – Award Winner
Poolside won 13 awards from different prestigious film festivals.
- Indie Short Fest – Best Thriller Short, Jury Award of Excellence
- Independent Shorts Awards – Platinum Award for Best Mystery Short, Gold Award for Best First Time Director, Gold Award for Best Cinematography, Best Film of the Month (Runner-Up)
- IndieX Film Fest – Award of Excellence (Special Mention), Best Women Short
- Hollywood Blvd Film Festival – Best Experimental Short Film
- Art Film Awards – Best Short Film
- Best Indie Film Awards – Best Indie Experimental Film (Short)
- Andromeda Film Festival – Best Short Film
- Milan Gold Awards – Silver Award for Indie Short Film
- New York Movie Awards – Best Indie Short Film
- Florence Film Awards – Honorable Mention for Indie Short Film
- FILMHAUS – Honorable Mention Award for Indie Short Film
- Across The Globe Film Festival – Best Director, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Editing
- Best Director Award – Gold Award for Best 1st Time Director of a Short
Nominations – Finalist
- Lisbon Film Rendezvous – Lisbon, Portugal (In Consideration)
- Prague Monthly Film Festival – Prague, Czech Republic – (in consideration)
- Indie Short Fest – Los Angeles, California – (Won)
Official Selections
- Hollywood Blvd Film Festival – Hollywood, California
- Indie Shorts Awards New York – New York, New York
- Indie Shorts Awards Cannes – Cannes, France
- Prague International Film Festival – Prague, Czech Republic
- Global Indie Film Fest – Glasgow, Scotland
- Andromeda Film Festival – Istanbul, Turkey
- Milan Gold Awards – Milan, Italy
- Florence Film Awards – Tuscany, Italy
If you want to know more about “Poolside”, visit the IMDb page here. To discuss more the film and the festival release, you can schedule an interview with the director, or you can request a virtual screening of the film by contacting Joyce R. Forchion