Directed by Joseph Avery Dado
Release Date: July 19, 2024
Starring: Mateus Oliveira Borges
Synopsis: A photographer wanders into a closed forest, lurking a creature called “The Forest Man” that finds his presence disturbing.
Director’s Statement
The Forest Man was originally supposed to be my second film after Joe’s Life. The idea began during the COVID-19 pandemic when I was on a video call with friends watching Halloween. Around that time I also remember walking through the woods during a school trip, and that is when the concept for The Forest Man first came to me.
My goal was to create something inspired by the B-movies of the 1960s like The Blob. These films were low budget but still delivered thrills, atmosphere, and creative production value. For a long time the project never moved beyond the page. I filmed a few test shots with a friend, but the film did not truly come to life until I started making movies again more seriously.
This version of the film is simple, but Mateus gave an incredible performance and really surprised me. One of the main themes I wanted to explore is our relationship with nature. Living in the city we often take nature for granted. Forests are cut down for suburban expansion and pollution and trash slowly destroy natural environments. In that sense, The Forest Man can almost be seen as an environmental protector with supernatural powers.
In the short film this concept is not fully developed because the project was made mostly for fun. However, if I were to expand it into a feature film around 83 minutes, I would explore the character much further. In my vision, the Forest Man would be an unknown human figure whose powers come directly from nature. When someone enters its territory and begins to destroy it through pollution, littering, or other harm, the creature awakens and defends the forest.
I was surprised by how well the film performed when I posted it on YouTube. At the time I was not completely proud of the film and felt it still needed work. Even so, the response encouraged me. Overall, The Forest Man is a concept that I plan to revisit and develop further in the future.
THE PHOTOS
