We are happy to be here with Alexandra Pater, author and director of the short film ‘Bad Wings,’ which won the Best Make Up Award & Best Actress Award at the Milan Shorts Film Festival. To begin, how was the adventure on set, Alexandra? And with such a sensitive subject matter, how was the relationship with the actors?

I’m also happy to be here. Congratulations on the excellent job you did with the festival. The love for stories and film was so strong among the staff and those who came today, so thank you for inviting me. Regarding your question, the adventure on set was pretty… calm, which surprised me. Of course, time will always be a concern in any production, but I appreciated it so much because the team just made everything enjoyable.

The fact that 70% of the crew was made up of students only added to my admiration for them. And the actors did an excellent job in their roles. Luckily, we had time for rehearsals and character background conversations. My favorite part is watching them explore the character’s depth and apply different techniques. For example, Madalina was very meticulous and always wanted to do more research, Adi was more instinctive, and Mister Stan’s theatrical background made the whole process so exciting and fun.

Why did you want to tell this story and what is it that usually drives you toward writing and then directing your products? What people or movies or music or other art forms do you usually take inspiration from?

Honestly, the story came to me after making a puzzle of wants and needs as an artist. While writing it, I was surprised by the direction the story had taken, which has become darker than initially intended. I knew I wanted a dialogue that circled the idea of justice and, most importantly, who decides what’s fair and what’s not, which has chased me since I was a kid.

My inspiration comes mostly from photographs and paintings. Bad Wings began with a random photo I saw online of three kids on the floor, one tightly holding a teddy bear. Music also greatly influences my inspiration, especially when linked to dancing. I’m very much in love with dancers and musicians; they usually inspire me the most. Funny enough, I never get any ideas from movies or literature.

Can you tell us more specifically about your career? What are your inspirations and desires in the near future?

I haven’t yet earned the term “career,” but I’m working on it. I’ve been doing a lot of ghostwriting for about 9 years, and I finally feel ready to move up with my work. I just finished the feature version of Bad Wings’ script and am searching for producers to make it happen. After that, I’d like to bring to life a romance in the anime genre, which I wrote as an escape from Bad Wings. I would love to start and have a career in that field.

Tell us what it is like to produce a film in your country, Romania? You don’t often see products from this beautiful land. Do you usually find difficulties?

I actually believe it’s easier to make a project happen in Romania than elsewhere. Sure, there are obstacles and some people can get in the way sometimes, but most were so open and happy to help and wanted to be part of a creative process, to make art. To give you an unbelievable example, we got the location for free because the director loves to encourage students’ creativity. So I guess that’s the sunny side of producing, finding these gems of people, putting them in one room, and watching the magic happen.

Thanking you for your time, we ask as a final question… Looking at ‘Bad Wings’ and getting into the depths of your work, we noticed an attention to detail regarding rhythm. Is that something you care about a lot in your style? And if you had to choose one existing film that you wished you had made, what would it be?

I’m so happy you noticed this! I have a feeling it will become sort of my calling card. I know many people prefer to focus on the acting, but I think editing, sound design, and music are crucial to storytelling; they determine genre and atmosphere. Because I continuously discover new, amazing films, I have trouble choosing one, but I would have loved to have made Confessions from 2010, directed by Tetsuya Nakashima.