The conversation, presented by Matías Dumont, CEO and founder of Antiestático, reflects Nicolás Bori’s professional experience as a Young Director Award winner.
The discussion among the experts focused on one of the leading names in the sector, director Nicolás Bori. Introduced by Matías Dumont from Antiestático, Nicolás Bori shared his professional experience as a young filmmaker who emerged from the Young Director Award (YDA) circuit, and how his piece Breaking Glass was the first step towards establishing himself in the industry.
In his speech, Bori emphasised the importance of adaptability in audiovisual production, highlighting that often the key to success lies in adjusting to the resources available and taking advantage of opportunities that arise along the way. His testimony highlighted the importance of constant learning and perseverance, elements that defined his path in the world of directing.
Matías Dumont recalled the early days when he met Bori, when the director told him about a project he wanted to shoot in Iceland. They both shared a passion for cinema, but also the difficulties of securing funding. Together, they managed to get the project off the ground, even though Scandinavian Airlines never responded to them. ‘We wanted to film about the first female aviator, but we didn’t get any support,’ explained Matías.
Nicolás Bori said that, due to employment difficulties in Argentina, he ended up studying business administration, even though his passion was audiovisual media. After working at Google, he decided to travel around Africa for six months, filming his experience. ‘An English tourism company saw the material and bought the content from me, which gave me the first boost of confidence to enter the world of directing,’ recalled Bori.
Bori said that after being rejected twice by the Baden-Württemberg Filmakademie, he tried a third time and, from then on, began to take his directing career seriously: ‘That’s when I set myself the goal of winning something at the YDA,’ he said. That first success, combined with the support of Matías Dumont and the Antiestático team, allowed him to begin realising ambitious projects.
The film Mother Nature’s Power was the first significant shoot he did with Antiestático, but the next big project was Breaking Glass, where the challenges were even greater. “I started imagining the story, and when researching, some things fit perfectly,” Bori explained. During the shoot, there were obstacles like the weather and lack of budget, but they adapted with creative solutions.
Regarding the piece Breaking Glass, it was filmed in southern Germany and Sweden, in a flight school setting, with real pilots as actors. For Nicolás Bori, being part of the YDA was “very special,” but he remembered that the most important moment was when François Chilot wanted to speak with him after his success in the competition. “It was even more important than winning the YDA Gold,” he recalled. He also mentioned that the support from someone like François gave him the strength to keep going.
Finally, Bori thanked Matías Dumont for his constant support throughout the process and concluded: “Thanks to the inspiration I received at the YDA and the support of Antiestático, I’m here today,” and he hopes to continue growing in the industry.
