Experiencing Interruptions?

THE SMELL OF STORM

As a historical storm breaks out over the city, two members of a subtle pacifist commando steal police uniforms. That night, they use the exceptional power of the storm to make a trip to the past. They project themselves to 1997 in search of the secret Kyoto agreements, before the planned ecological catastrophe is definitively committed.

  • Pascal J. JARDEL
    Director
  • Pascal J. JARDEL
    Writer
  • Pascal J. JARDEL
    Producer
  • Justine THIBAUDAT
    Key Cast
  • Franck DRUON
    Key Cast
  • Pascal J. JARDEL
    Key Cast
  • Elena BARANOWSKI
    Key Cast
  • Lucie CHARBONNEAUX
    Key Cast
  • Jean-Jacques GLADIN
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, SCI-FI
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 29, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    4,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Country of Filming:
    France
  • Language:
    French
  • Shooting Format:
    DSLR
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Pascal J. JARDEL

Pascal J. Jardel is a French film actor, director, and screenwriter born in France. He grew up in the southwestern part of France and settled in Toulouse in 1995, where he made his first video experiments. He decided to stop his studies and become a director. Being self-taught, he did not receive any formal training.

After participating in several projects, he was passionate about writing and the French language, and decided to start writing and directing his own scripts. He produced his first film in 2000.

In 2007, he established his own film production and directing company, Dream Life Cinema. In 2008, he was asked to participate in the making of the film "LISA" and collaborated with Thierry OBADIA on its direction. The film was first presented to the public on May 19th, 2009 and was shown out of competition at the Martinez during the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. In 2013-2014, he directed the film "Love Ways," a cinematic work on the musical theme of Maurice Ravel's Bolero. In 2014, Pascal played the lead role in the feature film "A.D.N. l'âme de la terre." He portrayed the character of "Akim" alongside Michel Jonasz, who played his father. The film was in the official selection at the Woodstock Film Festival.

Since 2015, he has been making a new film every year and has honed his craft.

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Director Statement

"It is a sad thing to think that nature speaks and humanity does not listen." Victor Hugo

We all know that the planet is running out of natural resources and that the sustainability of humanity is in jeopardy. But the heroes in my film do not see it the same way.

What makes The Smell of Storm unique?
The peace and environmental preservation are at the very heart of the plot.

In our time, man has lost the balance that ties him to nature. He willingly accepts universal servitude. Unfortunately, he forgets that his scientific genius is capable of providing him with a quality of life that respects life itself.

In this cinematic adventure, scientists decide to attempt the ultimate experiment: to go back in time to find voluntarily hidden documents. Documents that could change the face of the world by averting the feared environmental catastrophe.

Still utopians, you might say!
And yet, everyone agrees that everything is going wrong and few are those who try to really change things. The modern-day Robin Hoods, our scientists are pacifists and it is at the peril of their freedom that they have decided to extract one of their team members to perform the time experiment.

This manifesto film deciphers in the background the hegemony of an economic dictatorship that suffocates the development capacities of our world. A world that no longer privileges nature or humanity.

Indeed, since the time of inventor Nicolas Tesla at the beginning of the 20th century, many inventions and research have been deliberately banned from official discourse. The supremacy of lobbies has often directed major industries in the opposite direction of studies that prioritize nature and humanity.

It is against this absurdity that has become the norm that this humanist and optimistic thriller intends to stand. I believe that if man changes now, maybe nature will let him live.

Pascal J. Jardel