Where did the idea come from?

This film was initially in a Swedish project called “9x3” that featured nine short films from young filmmakers on the subject of family. Then I made a second version that was a bit longer and that’s the version in the Festival. When I began working on this project with my co-writer, we would recollect how it was growing up as a kid. I am the oldest of three kids in my family, so when my brother was born, this same thing, which the girl experiences in the film, had happened to me. It was very sweet to build this little perfect family in a very short time and have this sweet, typical, Swedish little girl. And that’s how I recall it was for me growing up before my brother was born. It was like a paradise, being the favorite guy around. And then this little bastard was born. Well, later on he turned out to be my little beloved brother, of course.

The girl in the film is wonderful. How did you come across her?

It was 2 weeks prior to shooting and I still did not have the lead actress. I just could not find her. It was very problematic to find a 5 year old who was willing to do it or whose parents would allow it. So I desperately browsed the Internet and found a casting agency located in my region. And there was this headshot of this angel. Kindra. So I called her mother and I bought her all the sweets I could. Step-by-step I managed to befriend her. We hung out, played around. I took her to play mini-golf and then we had even more candy. She was very professional from the very beginning. But she did not want to rehearse. She said: “I want to do it for real, I do not want to do it for fake. When everything is there, I promise I will do it for real. But I do not want to do it now.”

This film has played in nearly 50 festivals around the world since its premiere in January. Why do you think it has such a fast ride?

The Manhattan Short Film Festival actually is exactly the 50th festival to play the film. When I finished the film, I sensed that it would do well in the festival circuit. I’ve seen many festival films and I kind of know what works. First of all, I think this is a universal theme that anyone can relate to. This film reflects the pains of growing up and leaving a secure childhood. This is the very first time this child has experienced the pain of becoming an individual that has to take care of oneself. I was two years old when my brother was born and I still remember the feeling very well. How much it hurt, how painful it was to be left alone. And many people can relate to that. And it’s short and it has a strong twist at the end. These are the key ingredients.

What makes a good festival short film?

A good festival film is a film that takes the audience somewhere they did not expect. It’s important to play with the form. You have so much freedom in the short format. You can play with everything-- the editing, the image, the sound-- in a totally different way than you can in a long format. There are no restrictions. Love Child is actually quite conventional in its form. It has the structure of a feature film in a way. But it plays on just one single emotion, like a strong piano key, and that is something a feature can never do.

So do you want to dedicate this film to your younger brother?

Absolutely. I dedicate it to Michael.

How many short films you made?

I don’t really know. There are 4 or 5 that I have shown around the festivals. I made around 30 or so on my own. I started filmmaking at 15. I am 26 now.

What got you interested in filmmaking?

I grew up in a small, rural community. There was no one around who was into this. My best friend’s father had this camcorder that he kept locked in his mini bar. So when he was out of the house, we picked the lock, we got the camera and went out in the night to shoot something. We shot everything that moved. Then step-by-step it developed into some sketches. So it was a lot of playing with camera at the beginning. I made my first short film when I was about 15.

So you are self-taught?

Not entirely. I went to this media school when I was 16 to 18 year old. And then I studied at the film academy in Prague. But I would say that I am mainly self-taught.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to make their first film?

Oh, I would wish someone gave me an advice when I was 15. But I would say, if you want to make a film don’t just shoot whatever. Try to sit down and write something down. Write your ideas, write words, describe the characters, describe what would be a cool scene, what would be a scary scene, a funny scene. But try to write it first. That was a door opener for me when I first started in filmmaking. Writing and planning is the key. Then you can get something.