Synopsis 2:02 AM

Louise comes back to Belgium after a long trip in Asia, but is reluctant to go home. She postpones the moment to come home. In Brussels North Station Adrian notices Louise. He is about to leave. Instead of taking his train, he follows her. Unlike Louise, he postpones the moment to leave. What follows is a backpacking trip through Brussels at night. They are in a moment in between, not yet gone, not yet arrived, in a huge transit zone, called Brussels. A place that makes surprising encounters possible, an inter-cultural, inter-national area. How to experience the home land as a foreign country? A reflection on travel as a state of mind, and home as a feel.
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Technical infos 2:00 AM

BELGIUM – 2009 – 74min – COLOR – 2.35
ENGLISH/FRENCH O.V.
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Festivals & awards 1:58 AM

Brussels Film Festival 2009 – Official Competition – Telenet Prime Audience Award
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Cast & crew 12:21 AM

Lucie Debay (Louise)

Arieh Worthalter (Adrian)

Anaël Snoek (Zoe)

Elisabeth Lourtie & Geoffrey Boissy (Tourist couple)

Andres Cifuentes (Laundry guy)

Antonio Otero (Guy with the suitcase)

Mathieu Besnard (Matt)

Pierre Van Heddegem (Ex-cab driver)

Louise Chardon & Luk Van Den Dries (Tango couple)

Marion Nguyen The (Night-shop girl)

Stendec (Himself)



Written and directed by Olivier Boonjing

Produced by Olan Bowland & Olivier Boonjing

Assisted by Stanley Kowalski

Cinematography by Olivier Boonjing, Olan Bowland & Jean-François Metz

Sound recording by Quentin Aksajef & Thibaut Darscotte

Foley by Thomas Vaquié & Valentin Van Galder

Editing by Olivier Boonjing, Quentin Aksajef & Olan Bowland

Sound editing by Thibaut Darscotte

Sound mix by Jean-François Levillain

Color grading by Olivier Boonjing

Trailer editing by Adil Nahjari

Making of by Azilys Romane

Music by Michael the Blind, Ramona Cordova & Jim Kenny

Produced by Another State of Mind Films
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Director's statement 11:14 PM

I grew up in Belgium, less than a mile away from Germany and Holland. My mother is from Thailand, my father from Belgium, my grand-father from Germany. My favourite music bands always were English, my favourite literature American, my favourite clothes Danish, my favourite movies Asian, my favourite food Indian,…

The very notion of identity linked to a nationality has always seemed strange to me. I always felt being a bit of everything. I had the chance to move around and I always felt well everywhere and somehow home nowhere.

All that pushed me into making this film, a film about the notion of travel and the idea of home. Both are very closely linked to me. Travel as a state of mind more than a movement, home as a feel more than a place.

As someone once said:

“ The man who finds his homeland sweet is still a tender beginner, he to whom every soil is as his native one is already strong but he is perfect to whom the entire world is as a foreign land…”

Inspired by the writing of Pico Iyer (Global Soul) and Alain de Botton (The Art of Travel), I wanted to ask myself how it would be to perceive again my home town Brussels as a kind of foreign space.

So-called modern loneliness is a subject that moves me a lot. As a reference to the American painter Edward Hopper, I decided to work on the idea of empty public spaces at night and how it can be lonely people together, making them somehow feel less alone. I translated that into locations I knew very well, most of the film was shot 10 minutes of walk away from my house.

The movie was shot with about no budget but I continue to stress out that it was more of a choice. I wanted the freedom to experiment, I wanted the freedom to have time and more importantly, the story didn’t need more. It had to be light to work.

I wanted to create a short, simple movie in its structure, a near documentary that focuses on the little things. A movie that will hopefully ask audiences questions that are rather philosophical and leave them time to think about it.

To me, emotions need time and space. I decided the movie’s rhythm should follow that idea. Long shots but it keeps moving, sometimes rather fast. I wanted to create a space where the actors could evolve freely, the camera simply capturing the moment.

Somehow I consider this movie as a kiss goodbye to Brussels also, the end of 9 years here. I’m looking forward to what’s next.
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Director's biography 10:57 PM

1982-2000

I was born on the 15th October 1982 from a Belgian father and a Thai mother. I was raised in Belgium, in a small village close to the border to Germany and the Netherlands. Very early, I was put a still picture camera in my hands by my father and grand-father, both enthusiastic members of the local photo club. Being a bit nerdy at age 12, I grew a big passion for computers and started emerging myself in the world of computer graphics. At 16, I produced my first animation which landed a selection at Imagina. My second one was selected at Imagina and Siggraph.


2001

After high school, I moved to Brussels to start working as computer graphic artist in a company specialized in real time multi-players applications. Boring, didn’t suit me, I quit. During the 9 months that followed, I started working with digital video and photography again which I truly enjoyed. In serious need of money, I accepted a job as an artistic director in a company specialized in 3D renderings of architecture projects. Sounds good on paper, practically it meant creating 3D fly-through of malls. Boring, I quit, again.


2003

I decided to become a freelance director and cinematographer. With the help of close friends, we started producing event videos and photos, small commercials,… To bring some balance, we launched our first short film project called “Marla”, a different kind of fan movie based around the character from the novel “Fight Club”. It did very well online (www.marlathemovie.com) and even landed on Chuck Palahniuk’s official website, earning a good review from Filmthreat and an Netdiver Outstanding Project Award.


2004-2007

Things moved forward. Commercial work allows me to earn a living. Projects abroad appear mainly as cinematographer. Direction UK, USA, Cambodia,… Time to focus on a personal project, a feature film.


2008-2009

I’ve always been very attracted by the subject of travel and the very notion of home. I decided to place that at the center of my script. Partly autobiographical “Somewhere between here and now” is my first feature and my second fiction altogether. The project was self-funded and produced by Olan Bowland and myself. It was shot in 19 days on HDV with a crew of 4 (me included), all on location, almost exclusively with natural light (only two scenes were “lit”). There was no casting process either, we knew all the actors from previous projects. Olan and I then went to Thailand, Laos and Malaysia to shoot the intro sequence using two little still cameras in video mode.

The movie was finally finished end of April 2009.

I’m currently writing what could be seen as a sequel. It’ll be called “same same but different” and will take mainly place in South-East Asia. Fingers crossed.
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Director's filmography 10:48 PM

2009 - Same Same but Different - Feature (currently in development)

2009 - Somewhere Between Here and Now - Feature

2004 - Marla - Short

Also working as a commercial and music video director (more info at www.theblacksheep.be)
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Making of 10:15 PM

Stills taken from the video shot by Azilys Romane. More pictures on Flickr

Stills 9:30 PM

Somewhere Between Here and Now STILLS on Flickr

Interview Cineuropa 8:27 PM

Cineuropa met with Belgium’s Olivier Boonjing (director) and Olan Bowland (producer), who are behind the astonishing Somewhere Between Here and Now, which treats viewers to sophisticated nocturnal banter in cosmopolitan Brussels and was shot with a limited team and an almost non-existent budget. The film, selected in competition at the Brussels Film Festival 2009, picked up the Prime Telenet Audience Award.

LINK


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Interview Indymedia 7:29 PM

Being a bit more experienced with the interview making, our gonzo team met Oivier Boonjing, the belgian director of the fantastic film: "Somewhere between here and now".

LINK

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Trailer 7:24 PM

Edited by Adil Nahjari. Sound editing and mix by Thibaut Darscotte.

Contacts 6:56 PM

Another State of Mind Films
Rue Gustave Defnet 29
1060 Brussels
Belgium

E-Mail: info@asom-films.com
Web: www.asom-films.com


Olivier Boonjing
+32 477 84 78 65
olivier@asom-films.com

Olan Bowland
+32 477 82 72 20
olan@asom-films.com

Stanley Kowalski
+32 486 74 72 78
stan@asom-films.com
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