Barbora Gajdošová, Writer/Director of ‘That Moment’

Blurred lines emerge while drifting through dreams and real time. Where do you find the divide between loss and pain? Peer through the keyhole at the intimate moment of a break up. How hard will it be to accept your reality and allow the other person their freedom?

Barbora Gajdošová tells us how a break-up and a dream inspired her film That Moment.

That Moment was inspired by a break-up I went through. It happened in a cafe and it was brief. “Sorry, I have feelings for another,” he said. So I went home, cried for a few hours, drank a bottle of wine and went to sleep with my broken heart. That night I dreamt about him, the other woman and me. I wrote a story combining that dream and the actual break up with a bit of a dramatic twist to it and I knew that I was going to make it into a film. I never felt like this before. I had a mission. I turned pain into creativity and I’m still surprised by what has happened. I was like a magnet for good news. I surrounded myself with people who are incredibly talented and kind. Everyone was up for doing it and I knew that we were going to make something special. “Hey, I’m shooting a short film! I’m very excited! It’s about a break-up!”

As an actor, I worked with Krzysiek Staniec (DOP) and Magdalena Wodzisz (editor) on their film projects. I knew what they could give me visually. They loved the script and understood what I needed to say with my story. We spent hours on pre-production and planning, which made the actual shoot a very smooth and enjoyable experience.

Miriam Kelleher, who plays the lead role, is a very good friend of mine and she was part of the project from the very start. “Are you shooting a film? I’m in it right?”… “Of course you are in it! You are so damn talented!” It took me a while to find a male actor that would energetically fit with Miriam. I was looking for someone confident, mature and strong. Eugene D’Arcy was perfect for that part.

The actual shoot took 3 days. We were all prepared, present and very excited. It was a very collaborative project as everyone involved brought their own artistic creativity to it. Eamon Ivri (Lighght) composed the soundtrack in 4 days. He was very productive and fast at getting the music done as there were deadlines for festival submissions that we didn’t want to miss.

It took two months from writing the script to shooting the film to editing it. The entire project was self-funded. Obviously, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the emotional support of my friends and the trust and belief from all the crew.

The hardest part of this project was to create something so intimate and share it with world.

That Moment screens at IndieCork in Programme 2 of the Creative Cork selection @ 9.15pm on Wednesday, 11th October 2017.

IndieCork runs from 8 – 15 October 2017