Today’s Filmmaker Spotlight interview is with Jesse Vogelaar, director of #ASFF2023 Official Selection comedy Room For One More. The hilarious film follows Alex, who experiences his entire house collapse on top of him. It’s a moment where most people’s lives might flash before their eyes, a time to reassess priorities and think about what’s really important. Or, in Alex’s case, use those last precious moments to pitch his short film idea to his longtime friend Bruno. Learn more about the maker of this project in this Q&A, from how he started filmmaking to his latest short Accoladia.

ASFF: Could you introduce yourself and give us a rundown of your filmmaking journey so far? 
JV: I started quite young with whatever I could get my hands on. One time, we were doing martial arts scenes in an old quarry. My friend, who had the first camera phone in our friend group, became the cinematographer and it was so low resolution you could barely make out the faces. I ended up going to film school, floundering for a few years afterwards and made some shorts that travelled well online in that big Vimeo era. I got deeper into comedy – including live performance and improv for a while – while constantly making sketches and shorts until I slowed down the pace and made some more thoughtful shorts that started screening at festivals. The last year or so has been wild, with Room For One More playing all over the world, from Palm Springs to Aesthetica. I’ve been directing comedy for our national broadcaster in Australia and making use of new opportunities that have opened up. I feel like I’m really at the beginning of something, even though it has been a very long time that I’ve been compulsively making things.

ASFF: Which film sparked your love of cinema?
JV: When I was getting into it, I was heavily into Michel Gondry’s work – just really obsessed with anything that had magical realism and practical effects. Things really sparked when I came across a film called The Taste of Tea (2004) by Katsuhito Ishii. That’s when my mind really started to open when it comes to what’s possible in cinema and gave me hope that one day there might be a place for the kinds of films I’d like to make.

ASFF: What’s a movie you could talk about for hours?
JV: Roy Andersson’s Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2015) is just so wild and counterintuitive to everything about filmmaking. I could waffle on about all the details and why so many of these deranged moments are brilliant.

ASFF: If you could become any character in cinematic history, who would you choose? 
JV: Nicolas Cage’s character in Dream Scenario (2023). I would just be an underwhelming man sauntering through people’s dreams.

ASFF: How do you want audiences to feel whilst watching your films?
JV: I suppose I really like to screen work that hasn’t been seen before in quite the same way. I like to lean into very imaginative concepts and bring fantasy into a grounded setting. If audiences feel the same joy that I get when I see something new and exciting, then that is really satisfying for me.

ASFF: Which themes do you find yourself gravitating towards in your projects?
JV: If I look at the last few things I’ve worked on and the scripts I have on my slate at the moment, there seems to be stories about connection in very unusual circumstances. I think the world doesn’t make sense most of the time and the best we can do is laugh about it together. Whether it’s an imploding economic system or being trapped under a house, loneliness or being forgotten about are among our worst fears.

ASFF: What’s a film genre you haven’t worked with before but would be interested in trying out?
JV: One of these days I might try a drama. No jokes allowed. I’m still working my way up to that kind of vulnerability.

ASFF: What is one piece of advice you would give to budding filmmakers?
JV: That you should get comfortable with the idea of never “making it.” The whole journey is an endless climb. Every time you discover or reach a new milestone, there’s more to do. You have to love what you’re doing now and the people who you are doing this with now and be okay with whatever happens.

ASFF: How has screening at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival impacted you?
JV: It’s been great. The audience for shorts seem super engaged. I was online one day and discovered that Room for One More was up on Letterboxd. A heap of people had reviewed and added the film to their lists after seeing Aesthetica. It’s such a trip to read how it connected with different people.

ASFF: What projects are you working on at the moment? 
JV: The most exciting thing for me right now is my new short film, Accoladia, which will start screening very soon. Thanks to Pork Store Productions, I really had the chance to go all out with my ideas. It is part of a larger world that I will continue developing with the producers – so I am really excited to have those conversations.

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See more of Jesse’s work: Website | Instagram

Watch more incredible films at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024, which runs from Wednesday 6 November until Sunday 10 November. Tickets and Passes Now On Sale!

Get Your’s Today: asff.co.uk

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Stills:

1. Room For One More (2023) dir. Jesse Vogelaar
2. Accoladia (2024), dir. Jesse Vogelaar
3. Room For One More (2023) dir. Jesse Vogelaar