Julien Homsy
He is the man behind Popsy Dollar Baby Film.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Julien Homsy: I don’t come from a cinema school. It’s just my passion for films and my artistic background (I’m an architect) that pushed me to be a film director.
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?
Julien Homsy: I had met a couple of film directors. I have a company doing visual effects for architecture and wanted to go further with it so I proposed my help in visual effects. I also financed a short film project and was able to learn a lot from that. I loved the experience and decided to give it a try as a director with Popsy.
SKSM: When did you make Popsy? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?
Julien Homsy: 2016. 50K€. The take was a 5 day shoot but the pre-production and post-production took several months.
SKSM: How come you picked Popsy to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?
Julien Homsy: Popsy is a dark psychological thriller challenging subversive themes like child abduction and money games addiction. It has great characters, scenes and spectacular elements in the story.
I love all that and the choice was obvious to me.
SKSM: How did you find out that King sold the movie rights to some of his stories for just $1? Was it just a wild guess or did you know it before you sent him the check?
Julien Homsy: A friend told me about it and then I went on his website and there you can find all the explanation and process on how to apply for the dollar baby program.
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when you made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Julien Homsy: I find every moment special when you’re making a film. During pre-production, meeting the actors was very cool. I love shooting because it’s a live process where no mater how much you plan ahead, unexpected things will happen and challenge you. During post-production, editing is a great moment of creation as well as elaborating the music score.
About the music score, I was extremely fortunate to have Metallica accepting to put « For whom the bell tolls » in it.
Their lawyer told me that the band saw the movie and agreed that I could put it for free since it was under the dollar baby program ?
SKSM: How does it feel that all the King fans out there can’t see your movie? Do you think that will change in the future? Maybe a internet/dvd release would be possible?
Julien Homsy: Yes it’s a little bit sad that there isn’t a way to commercialise the best of the dollar baby films. But the movie was released in over 30 festivals and also at one that is a specific Dollar baby Stephen King festival in Holland. So they’re ways to see the best ones if you look for them.
SKSM: What “good or bad” reviews have you received on your film?
Julien Homsy: I received mainly very good reviews. Sometimes a bad one on personal blogs.
What should matters to you as a director is that you’re happy with the result. Also, the success of your film is more important than the good critics.
They’re lots of films that have received bad critics that I find very good and vice versa. 2001 Space Odyssey had very bad critics at the beginning of it’s release. Critics are only human and their tastes are subjective. Find one you agree with and most times you won’t be disappointed when you see a film recommended by this critic.
SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?
Julien Homsy: It’s been released in about 30 festivals so far.
The problem is that film festivals don’t accept film when they’re over 2 years old. Which is Popsy age so now I don’t know when I it will screen again.
SKSM: Are you a Stephen King fan? If so, which are your favorite works and adaptations?
Julien Homsy: I am! I red most of his short stories but not all the novels. I’m more attracted by his dark psychological approach which feel very real in is stories than the fantasy aspects.
I know Stephen King doesn’t like Shining because it is betraying the original story in the sense that Jack Nicholson seems crazy from the start of the story. Stanley Kubrick is a god to me but I very much understand Stephen King’s point of view because this is where he is precisely a master to me. In drawing his characters from normality to insanity.
SKSM: Did you have any personal contact with King during the making of the movie? Has he seen it (and if so, what did he think about it)?
Julien Homsy: Only is secretary dealing with the Dollar baby program. I didn’t managed to have his say on the adaptation. This is the only regret I have on this project. But I’m quite confident he would like it because I feel as I understood the characters and managed to pass the story across in an authentic way.
SKSM: Do you have any plans for making more movies based on Stephen King’s stories? If you could pick -at least- one story to shoot, which one would it be and why?
Julien Homsy: No I don’t but if I could, I’d make:
Batman and Robin have an altercation (short)
Running Man, 1982 (feature)
SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?
Julien Homsy: Sorry I can’t say right now but it is a very exiting adaptation for a feature project.
SKSM: What one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Julien Homsy: I’m 42 years old and just starting as a director. So it’s never to late to go for your dreams.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Julien Homsy: If you feel like giving it a try at shooting a movie or writing a story but wander where to start then stop asking yourself and start working!
SKSM: Would you like to add anything else?
Julien Homsy: Thank you!
