A House Made of Splinters

“The Shelter Radiated Human Warmth and Closeness”: DP Simon Lereng Wilmont on A House Made of Splinters

The war in eastern Ukraine has left countless children as orphans, and in the face of systemic failure, the burden to care for them falls mostly on caretakers at overburdened orphanages. Simon Lereng Wilmont made one such orphanage the subject of his latest film, A House Made of Splinters. Wilmont both directed and shot the film, and below he discusses the paradoxes of shooting in an isolated orphanage during COVID and recounts the most difficult scene he has ever filmed. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022
“The Best Scenes Tend to Land in the First Pass”: Editor Michael Aaglund on A House Made of Splinters

A House Made of Splinters, the second film by director Simon Lereng Wilmont after The Distant Barking of Dogs, takes place in an orphanage in eastern Ukraine, not far from the front lines. The film focuses on the impact war has on the development of the children as well as on the system that has failed to help war orphans. Michael Aaglund, who served as the film’s editor, discusses how he develops a scene in the cutting room and why he aims for simplicity. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022
“Just Being Able to Meet Your Subjects Is a Luxury” | Simon Lereng Wilmont, A House Made of Splinters

The last two years have prompted much contemplation and reconsideration of the reasons why we make our films as well as the ways in which we make them. What aspect of your filmmaking—whether in your creative process, the way you finance your films, your production methodology or the way you relate to your audience—did you have to reinvent in order to make and complete the film you are bringing to the festival this year? I miss the hustle and bustle of human interaction—both in the financing and the creative part of the filmmaking process. E-meetings are great in that it […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2022
“It’s a Huge Responsibility Working with Children, Especially after Filming Ends”: Simon Lereng Wilmont on his Sundance-Debuting doc A House Made of Splinters

A House Made of Splinters is Simon Lereng Wilmont’s exquisite followup to The Distant Barking of Dogs, his likewise stunning feature debut (that was awarded Best First Appearance at IDFA 2017, and went on to be Oscar shortlisted two years later on these shores). With this latest, world-premiering January 23 in the World Cinema Documentary Competition, the Danish director returns to the suddenly-in-the-headlines front line of Eastern Ukraine to once again focus on the youngest victims of an endless war. This time he trains his lens on Eva, Sasha and Kolya – three children temporarily removed from substance-abusing parents and […]
by Lauren Wissot on Jan 23, 2022

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