The Burned Man

He is a seclusive man, a very, very seclusive man. So seclusive that, but for his own image in the mirror, he completely lost the idea of what another human being might look like. Anyway, tonight it's different. He decided to do something special. He will open the door and go outside...

  • Frédéric Roussel
    Director
  • Frédéric Roussel
    Writer
  • Frédéric Roussel
    Key Cast
    "He"
  • Elisabeth Roussel
    Key Cast
    "She"
  • Giacinto Scelsi's "Four Pieces on a Single Note"
    Recorded music
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 24, 2019
  • 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
  • Shockfest Film Festival
    Online event
    United States
    December 10, 2021
    Official Selection
  • LA Indie Horror Fest
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    October 31, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • Mercurio Bimonthly Short Film Awards
    Online event
    October 27, 2021
    Best Experimental Film, Best Director of Experimental Film and Best Editing of Experimental Film
  • Gralha International Monthly Film Awards
    Curitiba, PR
    Brazil
    September 1, 2021
    Official Selection
  • South America Awards
    São Paulo, SP
    Brazil
    June 30, 2021
    Nominee for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Sound Design (Experimental film)
  • The Fantasy Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    June 5, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Tietê International Film Awards
    Tietê, São Paulo
    Brazil
    May 1, 2021
    Nominee for Best Sound Design (Experimental Film)
  • FLICKFAIR Film Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    April 1, 2021
    Official Selection
  • jellyFEST - Season 6
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    March 26, 2021
    Finalist Best Experimental Short
  • Kill Valentine Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    February 10, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Fantastic Indie Festival of Los Angeles
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    January 25, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Vancouver Independent Film Festival
    Vancouver, British Columbia
    Canada
    January 15, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Indie Shorts Awards Miami
    Miami, Florida
    United States
    December 8, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Montreal Requiem Fear Fest
    Montreal, Quebec
    Canada
    October 31, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Berlin Flash Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    October 31, 2020
    Award of Outstanding Achievement
  • BingeHorror Online Film Awards
    Online event
    October 24, 2020
    Honorable Mention
  • Rome International Movie Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    October 3, 2020
    Best Experimental
  • Phoenix Monthly Short Film Festival
    Toronto, Ontario
    Canada
    October 1, 2020
    Best Covid-19 Film
  • Mr. HoleHead's Warped Dimension
    San Francisco, California
    United States
    September 26, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Weird Film Fest
    San Francisco, California
    United States
    September 23, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Red Wood Film Festival
    Online event
    September 20, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Hollywood Blood Horror Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    September 6, 2020
    Best Mystery
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    July 18, 2020
    Best Experimental Short
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    July 18, 2020
    Nominee for Best Mystery Short
  • Montevideo World Film Festival
    Montevideo
    Uruguay
    July 6, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Independent Horror Movie Awards
    Online event
    May 10, 2020
    Best Atmosphere
  • Independent Horror Movie Awards
    Online event
    May 10, 2020
    Nominee for Best Short, Best Music and Best Original Concept
  • Druk International Film Festival
    Paro
    Bhutan
    November 16, 2019
    Nominee for the Golden Dragon Awards
  • Druk International Film Festival
    Paro
    Bhutan
    November 16, 2019
    Critic's Choice Award
  • Canal de Panama International Film Festival
    Panama City
    Panama
    August 15, 2019
    Official Selection
  • South Film and Arts Academy Festival
    Rancagua
    Chile
    March 16, 2019
    Official Selection
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

This story first appeared as a text where I tried to make poetry merge with photo-tale. Then, reusing the stills, I turned it into a short film. Indeed it lost, in the meantime, the written-poetry dimension, even though written words are still there, in the shape of insert titles somewhat reminiscent of the silent movies. But it gained an atmosphere the film alone is able to provide. And the core of the story is still there: that man, retired from the world, is scorched alive as soon as he tries to go out again, and he doesn't burn alone. Scelsi's wonderful music contributes, with its ghastly wrapping mood, to worsen the nightmare.