Migraine

It was a long time ago.
A terrible headache.
Such a one he could never forget.
But let him tell us how it happened...

  • Frédéric Roussel
    Director
  • Frédéric Roussel
    Writer
  • Frédéric Roussel
    Key Cast
    "He"
  • Morton Feldman's "Neither"
    Recorded music
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Belgium
  • Country of Filming:
    Belgium
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    .mov
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • London Visionary Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    March 30, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Cinema Carnival
    Pisa
    Italy
    March 15, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Athens Film Festival
    Athens
    Greece
    March 10, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Milan Indie Film Festival
    Milan
    Italy
    March 3, 2025
    Best Short Experimental
  • NEONpanda FilmFest
    Singapore
    February 26, 2025
    Nominee Best Experimental Film
  • Lumière de Paris Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    February 23, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Planet Cinema
    Online event
    February 5, 2025
    Nominee Best Horror / Thriller
  • Noble Poodle
    Paris
    France
    February 2, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Alpine Frames Film Festival
    Zürich
    Switzerland
    January 20, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Creator X
    Online event
    December 4, 2024
    Nominee Best Experimental Film
  • CineRoma Film Festival
    Rome
    Italy
    December 1, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Cologne Movie Marathon
    Cologne
    Germany
    November 29, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Yeti Film Fest
    Reykjavik
    Iceland
    November 25, 2024
    Nominee Best Horror
  • Style, Experimental, Fashion Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    November 18, 2024
    Best Black & White Film
  • Montmartre Movie Extravaganza
    Paris
    France
    November 12, 2024
    Honourable Mention
  • Northern Lights Film Festival
    Oslo
    Norway
    October 26, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Windmill Film Festival
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    October 25, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Cinescape Lisbon Online Film Fest
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    October 4, 2024
    Nominee Best Experimental
  • Alpine International Film Festival
    Bern
    Switzerland
    October 3, 2024
    Best Short Experimental Film
  • Moonlight International Film Fest
    Online event
    October 2, 2024
    Nominee Best Experimental Film
  • Film House Awards
    Online event
    September 28, 2024
    Best Filmmaker
  • Tagus Art Association Film Festival
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    September 27, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Golden Bridge Istanbul Short Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    September 15, 2024
    Finalist Best Opening Scene
  • Darkland
    Online event
    September 13, 2024
    Semi-Finalist Best Experimental Short
  • Golden Swan Zurich Film Festival
    Zurich
    Switzerland
    August 14, 2024
    Best Experimental Short Film
  • Palma Film Festival
    Palma de Mallorca
    Spain
    August 14, 2024
    Honourable Mention
  • Dream Vision International Film Festival
    Online event
    June 30, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Faro International Film Festival
    Faro
    Portugal
    May 29, 2024
    Nominee Best Horror
  • Great Maple Screen Festival
    Toronto, ON
    Canada
    May 10, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Black Owl Film Festival
    Bodrum
    Turkey
    April 24, 2024
    Official Selection
  • London Cinematic Horizons
    London
    United Kingdom
    April 20, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Nocturna Online Brooklyn Film Festival
    Online event
    March 26, 2024
    Nominee Best Horror
  • Amsterdam World Canvas Film Festival
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    March 1, 2024
    Quarter-Finalist Best Experimental Film
  • Beyond the Screen Festival
    Antwerp
    Belgium
    February 28, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Sunny Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    February 1, 2024
    Official Selection
  • British Indie Festival Film & Music
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 19, 2023
    Official Selection
  • White Apple Festival
    Almaty
    Kazakhstan
    December 1, 2023
    Nominee Best Experimental Film
  • Liber Films International Festival
    Athens
    Greece
    October 11, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Madh Island International Film Awards
    Mumbai
    India
    September 29, 2023
    Best Experimental Award
  • Experimental Awards - London International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 8, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Lion International Film Festival
    Florence
    Italy
    August 4, 2023
    Official Selection
  • International Film & Script Festival Lotus
    Athens
    Greece
    June 10, 2023
    Official Selection
  • SENSEI FilmFest
    Tokyo
    Japan
    June 1, 2023
    Semi-Finalist Best Original Screenplay and Best Horror
  • Amazônia Cinema Awards
    Online event
    May 25, 2023
    Official Selection
  • 8 & Halfilm Awards
    Cannes
    France
    May 10, 2023
    Best Experimental Film
  • Sofia International Film Festival
    Sofia
    Bulgaria
    April 30, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Lonely Wolf 2023 International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    April 28, 2023
    Nominee
  • Nova Cinema
    Brussels
    Belgium
    April 27, 2023
    Open Screen program
  • FilmHaus Berlin
    Berlin
    Germany
    April 24, 2023
    Finalist Best Experimental, Best Horror, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Sound Design
  • Star International Film Festival
    Florence
    Italy
    March 26, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Prague International Indie Film Festival
    Prague
    Czech Republic
    September 17, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Tokyo International Monthly Film Festival
    Tokyo
    Japan
    July 15, 2022
    Honorable Mention
  • Brazil International Monthly Independent Film Festival
    Rio de Janeiro
    Brazil
    July 15, 2022
    Best Editing of Experimental Film
  • New Jersey Film Awards
    Online event
    July 1, 2022
    Best Experimental Short
  • Snow Leopard International Film Festival
    Madrid
    Spain
    June 11, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Golden Lemur International Film Festival
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    June 3, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Carpe Diem
    Online event
    June 1, 2022
    Best Soundtrack
  • Paris Film Awards
    Paris
    France
    May 27, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Red Movie Awards
    Reims
    France
    May 7, 2022
    Finalist Best Experimental Short
  • Japan International Film Festival
    Tokyo
    Japan
    May 3, 2022
    Honourable Mention
  • Golden Giraffe International Film Festival
    Nice
    France
    May 3, 2022
    Official Selection
  • 4theatre Film Festival
    Online event
    April 6, 2022
    Finalist Best Miscellaneous Short and Best Low Budget Short
  • Indiefilmopolis Film Festival
    Birmingham
    United Kingdom
    February 27, 2022
    Honourable Mention
  • Hamburg Film Awards
    Hamburg
    Germany
    January 31, 2022
    Official Selection
  • 8 & Halfilm Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    January 15, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Hollywood on the Tiber Film Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    January 14, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Cult Movies International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 24, 2021
    Finalist Best Experimental Short
  • L'Europe autour de l'Europe
    Paris
    France
    November 20, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Garoa Awards
    São Paulo, SP
    Brazil
    October 28, 2021
    Nominee Best Experimental Sound Design
  • Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival
    Toronto, ON
    Canada
    September 24, 2021
    Finalist Best Experimental Film
  • Serbest International Film Festival
    Kishinev
    Moldova, Republic of
    September 23, 2021
    Semi-Finalist Best Experimental Film
  • Experimental Forum
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    July 17, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • Sydney Indie Short Festival
    Sydney, NSW
    Australia
    July 3, 2021
    Semi-Finalist Best Experimental Short
  • Art Color Digital Cinema International Film Festival
    Brussels
    Belgium
    May 30, 2021
    Nominee Best Short Film
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    April 25, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • Fullshot Cine Mag Fest
    Online event
    April 1, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Austin International Art Festival
    Austin, TX
    United States
    March 30, 2021
    Best International Experimental Short
  • Seoul International Short Film Festival
    Seoul
    Korea, Republic of
    January 12, 2021
    Finalist Best Experimental Film
  • Roma Short Film Festival
    Rome
    Italy
    December 31, 2020
    Finalist Best Experimental Film
  • London Indie Short Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 20, 2020
    Honourable Mention
  • New York Independent Cinema Awards
    New York, NY
    United States
    December 3, 2020
    Official Selection
  • New York Tri-State International Film Festival
    New York, NY
    United States
    December 3, 2020
    Official Selection
  • New Wave Short Film Festival
    Munich
    Germany
    December 2, 2020
    Special Jury Selection Award for Experimental Films
  • Cult Critic Movie Awards
    Kolkata
    India
    November 2, 2020
    Award of Outstanding Achievement
  • PixelsGARAGE Awards of Excellence
    Online event
    September 30, 2020
    Best Experimental Film
Director Biography - Frédéric Roussel

Born in Brussels, Belgium, where I live, I practice and teach Drawing. My main concern is telling, be it by ways of words alone, words and drawings, words and photos, no matter if I cross the boundaries between art fields. Feeling concerned by the intricacies image is rich of, I like to explore the ties linking pictures to words and sound. I am also fond of nature, and my stories mirror it to some extent. I love challenges, such as making films on a shoestring, in the back of a garage...

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I had made a photo-tale about a headache, as simple as that. But the photo-tale was not able to emphasize the highlights of that microdrama. It was flat and dull. Then I decided to make a film out of it, and hopefully it gained that way the depth it lacked while still a work on paper. Looking for the best music I could find to fit to the story, I remembered "Neither", the wonderful Morton Feldman's music, with its nausea-like atmosphere. It was exactly what I was looking for. Amazingly enough, the score did not only fit to the film, it became part of it.