'The Favourite' Director Yorgos Lanthimos Directs Short Film for MINI with Droga5
Yorgos Lanthimos, the director known for ‘The Favourite’ and ‘The Lobster’, has helmed a short film for MINI in Droga5 London’s first work for the auto brand.
A trailer for the film, ‘Nimic’, was released last week ahead of its premiere on August 9th at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
Nimic was co-written with the director’s longtime collaborator Efthymis Filippou and David Kolbusz, Droga5 London chief creative officer, helped generate the original idea for the film.
It stars Oscar-nominated actor Matt Dillon and Daphne Patakia, winner of the EFP's Rising Star prize in 2016.
The 12-minute film’s plot centres on a professional cellist and an encounter he has on the subway that changes his life. Living firmly in Yorgos’ unique cinematic universe, the film asks questions about identity, perception, relationships and circularity.
Nimic was made in partnership with MINI as part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to celebrate the power of creativity. It was co-produced by Rekorder Berlin, Superprime Films and Merman London in partnership with Droga5 London.
Yorgos said: "I was glad to be given the opportunity to work on a shorter format that can be sometimes challenging but quite rewarding. We developed a script starting from a very intriguing initial idea and concept, and enjoyed great creative freedom during the realisation of the film. It is always very exciting to be invited to think outside the box and wrestle with stimulating ideas."
"It’s rare that an established director like Yorgos makes a short film and I was happy to be part of it,” said Matt Dillion. “Yorgos likes to take chances and give the audience something to chew on. It’s kind of a surreal film with universal themes of family and identity. The structure is a bit of a puzzle so you’re never quite sure what’s really going on. I had my own ideas and would ask Yorgos but he would just smile and say nothing. I think he prefers to let the film do the talking."
Added Daphne Patakia, “I was very impressed by the way Yorgos is invested in the work he does; it is very inspiring to me as an actor. Sometimes he would direct us with just one word or music. I never really understood what it meant but by applying it I was really surprised by what would happen. Yorgos told me a lot about films and other directors with a lot of passion. He even gave me a small lesson on camera lenses. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him in this film.
