Dernier Contact

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

Sophie Da Costa: As a big science fiction fan myself, the idea of dealing with a science fiction subject came quite naturally. I submitted the idea to the CinéCréatis teaching teams, who I have to say took it on board, much to my surprise!
The film echoes some of the classics of the genre, including Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Yevgeny Zamiatin’s The Rest of Us, which inspired the question our short film asks about the human condition*.
Jonathan Marc-Le Ster : I joined this project, which I found very ambitious! I was immediately enthusiastic about the idea of working with Sophie, not least because of her strong personality. For 2 years, we did everything we could to bring this project to fruition.

How did the filming of Dernier Contact go?

Jonathan Marc-Le Ster : Filming was a great experience, both intense and fraternal. For 1 week, we filmed in and around the city of Nantes. It allowed us to get to the heart of our intentions, to learn to improvise, to always relate to the story, and to succeed in creating that necessary bridge between directing and sensitivity.
Sophie Da Costa: Our complementary nature was a crucial element, which facilitated every stage of this short film. We were able to talk to each other and lean on each other to get through the difficulties without a hitch.

What do you remember about your 3 years at CinéCréatis?

Jonathan Marc-Le Ster: These 3 years have been very instructive, and have enabled me to meet my peers. The making of this short film, and the various artistic and technical choices we had to make, made me realise that you can’t just rely on your own intentions, but also be open to the advice of others. This helps you to improve, to take a step back and to defend your project better later on.

(information taken in part from the Dernier Contact press kit)

Directed by Sophie Da Costa, Jonathan Marc Lester