Against my will
Valérie, a successful woman, happy in her couple, has left her consulting firm to open a very popular restaurant. Unfortunately, her life is suddenly turned upside down when the second lockdown of the French population was announced. At the end of her rope, psychologically exhausted and financially weakened, Valérie is now on the edge of the precipice. With no lifeline on the horizon and as she retreats into herself, she slowly succumbs to an insidious addiction much to the dismay of those close to her.
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Nils LaneDirector
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Nils LaneWriter
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Nils LaneProducer
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Lydie MisiekKey Cast"Valérie"
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Simon GagnageKey Cast"Marc"
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Guillemette DumontKey Cast"The therapist"
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Maiya SinclairKey Cast"Phoebe"
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Valérie EnquinKey Cast"Valérie's mother"
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Soledad MartinKey Cast"Valérie's sister"
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Benjamin ChouchanKey Cast"Laurent"
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Amandine BatailleKey Cast"The policewoman"
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Nils LaneKey Cast"The policeman"
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Fréderic RemblièreKey Cast"Male staff"
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Océane SaulnierKey Cast"The client"
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Katia BardyKey Cast"Woman staff"
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Mathieu VernaisonAssistant Directors
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Nawal ZouakAssistant Directors
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Alexandra BattereauScript and Continuity Department
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Arthur DouéMusicPersonae
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Julien StreiffSound Department
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Project Title (Original Language):Contre ma volonté
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:28 minutes 29 seconds
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Completion Date:April 16, 2021
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Production Budget:1,500 EUR
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Country of Origin:France
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Country of Filming:France
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Language:French
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:2.39:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Golden Short Film FestivalRome
Italy
Best Drama, Best Producer Finalist, Best Screenplay Finalist and Best Soundtrack Finalist -
Montreal Independent Film FestivalMontreal
Canada
Best Actress -
Vesuvius International Film FestNaples
Italy
Best Original Score -
Oniros Film AwardsNew-York
United States
Best Drama, Best Actress, Best Short Film Finalist and Best Movie Poster Finalist -
RED Movie AwardsReims
France
Honorable Mention for Best Actress -
Best Film AwardsLondon
United Kingdom
Best Actress and Best Actor -
Hollywood Boulevard Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
Best Foreign Short -
New Jersey Film AwardsN/A
United States
Best Actress and Best Movie Poster -
Paris Film FestivalParis
France
Best Drama and Best Editing -
Toronto Monthly Film AwardsToronto
Canada
Best Actress and Honorable Mention for Best Short Film -
Europe Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
Best Editing -
Reale Film FestivalMilan
Italy
Best Realistic Film -
Around International Film Festival - ParisParis
France
ARFF Audience Award -
1st Monthly FIlm FestivalBelgrade
Serbia
Best Short Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production, Best Sound Design, Best Editing, Best Poster and Best Trailer -
Berlin Flash Film FestivalBerlin
Germany
Best Short Film -
Rome Independent Prisma AwardsRome
Italy
Official Selection -
BARCIFF • Barcelona Indie Filmmakers FestivalBarcelona
Spain
Official Selection and Best Actress and Best Director nominations -
London International Monthly Film FestivalLondon
Best Acting -
Florence Film AwardsFlorence
Italy
Honorable Mention for Best Actress -
New York Movie AwardsNew-York
United States
Best Actress and Honorable Mention for Best Indie Short Film -
Milan Gold AwardsMilan
Italy
Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Producer, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, 2nd Best Original Screenplay, 2nd Best Editing, 2nd Best Sound Design -
Kosice International Monthly Film FestivalKosice
Slovakia
Honorable Mention for Thriller Screenplay -
Prague International Monthly Film FestivalPrague
Czech Republic
Official Selection -
European Cinematography AWARDS (ECA)Amsterdam
Netherlands
Best Drama -
Bristol International Film FestivalBristol
United States
Best Actress -
Screen Power Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
Best Actress Winner, Best International Short Film Nominee and Best Sound Nominee -
Auber International Film FestivalAubervilliers
France
Official Selection -
WILDsound FEEDBACK Film FestivalToronto
Canada
Best Short Film -
SHORT to the PointBrașov
Romania
Official Selection -
Global Indie Film FestGlascow
United Kingdom
Official Selection -
Bucharest ShortCut CinefestBucharest
Romania
Best Original Score Winner and Best Actress Nominee -
Varese International Film FestivalVarese
Italy
Best Original Score -
Indigo Moon Film FestivalFayetteville
United States
Official Selection -
SMR13 - Festival du Film IndépendantSaint-Mitre les Remparts
France
November 19, 2021
World Premiere
Official Selection
After making his first short-film out of passion in 2005 at the age of 19, Nils Lane then devoted himself to his engineering studies and his professional career.
Fifteen years later, he decides to immerse himself entirely in the cinematographic universe he has liked so much since his earliest childhood. A multitasking man, he takes care of the screenwriting, the directing and all the other stages of his self-financed productions.
He likes to write and direct his films with one thing in mind "Nothing is what it seems". Indeed, there is one point where he makes no concessions : the story. This is the foundation for any movie and for him, if it is badly prepared, it will be felt throughout the rest of the film. This is why he spends a lot of time on the writing and especially on the part where he will surprise the viewers. This leads him to enjoy the science fiction and fantasy genres but he enjoys amazing the audience in drama or thriller as well.
Living in one of the most beautiful cities of the world, Paris, he thrives on its film sets to beautify his fictions. Yet, a good story and beautiful decors are not enough for Nils Lane. The acting is the part that gives life to his stories and he can be demanding with his cast. But one of the parts where he is the most uncompromising is without contest the post-production. Even if he is still a beginner at it, editing, sound mixing, color grading and all the other post-production parts are completely and strictly managed end to end by him.
His goal is to one day be the screenwriter and director of a produced feature-length motion picture. In the meantime, he is preparing many short films projects (drama, thriller and sci-fi) but also a web series about social and emotional relationships in our generation.
Even though this story is a fiction, it was written from real events experienced or told by those very close to me. My own experience with lockdowns is also infused into the storyline.
It is indeed this common experience lived by many people that inspired me to write a story describing the slow downfall of a person affected by the deprivation of freedom that destroys her psychologically. I also wanted to explore the consequences on her married, family and professional life.
Based on what happened in France in November 2020, the story was written in December 2020, shot in January 2021 and the post-production took place until April 2021 to deliver the movie in the heat of the moment as the subject is very contemporary.
Due to their very recent experience of such events, many people will find themselves in one or more of the characters portrayed in this short film.