Spotlight on this collective of cinema enthusiasts, recent winners of the 1st Clap, a short film competition organized by Bagoo and awarded at the NRJ Ciné Awards 2005 on September 30. Mantiprod, made up of young cinephiles from the French Riviera, may one day climb towards the stars.
“We shot ‘Olivier at the Psychiatrist’ in just four hours for fun and we entered the competition just for kicks. We won and were ahead of 200 other films often made with more resources than us,” modestly explains Sylvain Teissier, director and president of Mantiprod. On this occasion, they gained recognition from professionals and also a week in Hollywood, the Cinema Paradise. A week to dream and to motivate themselves to continue this passion that animates their lives.
Mantiprod, the brainchild of Sylvain Teissier and Thomas Lemoine, the actor and vice-president of the Association, is growing. Project after project, the baby develops, progresses. Each creation must be better than the last. Their only goal is to always enjoy every step of making a film from writing to editing. “We are about ten volunteers. The short film is the final product, but upstream there is the construction of the screenplay, improving it, then finding the sets. We need to think about the budget, negotiate the rental of equipment but also obtain filming permits,” comments Sylvain. In summary, a true professional job for true amateurs.
“We realize that by not paying, we remain a circle of enthusiasts focused only on the film. Employees tend to watch the clock more and do as little as possible,” observes the president of Mantiprod, “our goal is to enjoy filming and for the audience to also enjoy watching the film.” A simple discourse, original and elaborate cinema that demonstrates that with a well-thought-out script, it is possible to create enjoyable films.
Yet with the ambition to always improve, to produce better short films, means are needed. To finance the purchase of more efficient equipment, Mantiprod offers its skills in image-making to anyone who wants to film an event: launch, concert, seminar… All stages of creation are handled: Writing the script, filming, photo sessions, editing, and release of the film on DVD. The money raised is used in the creation of new films.
The next shoot will start at the end of the month and will span three weekends: “It’s going to be called ‘Crossed Destinies.’ It will be a fifteen-minute short film. It’s a big project and we hope for a lot. We’re a bit under pressure.” Response in early February.
Mantiprod is a young amateur collective but produces surprising and endearing films. It is also proof that on the French Riviera, the coast of glitter and superficiality, another cinema is possible. It does not parade on the Croisette and does not wander on red carpets, but it lives from its passion. A cinema that is currently confidential but deserves to be discovered.
Vincent Trinquat
www.mantiprod.com
“Olivier at the Psychiatrist” Best Short Film at the ClapBagoo/NRJ Ciné Awards 2005: https://s.teissier.free.fr/video/olivier_psy.wmv