Interview: Boys on Film X: The Directors – Lukas Dhont
2 min read
The tenth installment of one of cinema’s most celebrated short film series Boys on Film X is set to be an explosive cinematic exploration of LGBT themes and lifestyles.
Leading up the last months anticipated release, we at Renowned For Sound spoke with some of the directors involved in the release to discuss their films.
In today’s interview we chat with Lukas Dhont, director of Headlong.
Florence Hinton-Collyer: How would you pitch your short?
Lukas Dhont: The short is about a young boy discovering himself and the arena he has chosen to be in for the rest of his life. When he meets a man on the run he is drawn to him…for some reason.
FHC: What do you hope for the audience to take away from having watched your film?
LD: I hope they felt something…anything.
FHC: Why did you choose to depict this particular narrative?
LD: I love films with a classical structure in storytelling but I also love very poetic, abstract films that I can use as a canvas to project. Most people hate one of the two. I try to combine the best of both.
FHC: How does Headlong challenge boundaries?
LD: It challenged me as a person a lot. I was coping with my own identity while writing Headlong and I think that’s visible in the main character. The main thing I tried was to make a film that could be interpreted as a love story but just as easily as something else. This tension between characters and openness in interpretation is the thing I’m still most happy with. I don’t really like gay shorts that evolve just around the gay eroticism.
FHC: What do you think the dangers of loneliness are?
LD: A human being needs confrontation. The times in my life that I felt really lonely were mostly times when I avoided a confrontation with myself or an other. For that reason I think the biggest danger is limiting yourself and not allowing to grow as a person.
FHC: What’s next for Lukas Dhont?
LD: We’re shooting my new shortfilm in two weeks. It’s going to be released in June. I am also writing a treatment for my first feature film…so good things I hope.
