Indie-Clips Original Interview

Daughter directed by Jorge Sermini

Winner of Best Belgian Short Film + Belgian Audience Award at 7ème Aaaargh Retro Film Festival 2025

Jorge, could you tell us more about yourself and your short film?

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, but also spent many years in Austin Texas. Ten years ago I moved to Köln, Germany and currently work in Antwerp in Belgium.  For my film "Daughter," I worked with writer Nicole Elmer on the project for several years. We had worked enough together to know that a story in development needs to get off the page, so to speak. So we experimented by finding costumes and playing the main characters ourselves, recruited actor friends to play some roles, then test-shot the scenes on our iPhones and edited the film. We even played with materials in Nicole's garage, stuff lying around like clear plastic trash bags and house paint, to find a look for the monster. All of this hands-on time was the best way to see the story embodied rather than on a page. 

To keep our budget reasonable, we intended to shoot the film in Köln because I had friends and their apartments available as potential locations. But thanks to producer Kristian Van der Heyden we were able to shoot in Dinant, Belgium. The location perfectly suited the characters' mood and qualities.

Theme-wise: "Daughter" explores the complex world of parenting. It asks: How far will parents go for their children and what might be the effect of their choices on the family? Exploring this through horror, rather than say drama, allowed Nicole and I to push scenarios creatively to really explore these ideas.

What inspired you to spark a discussion around this subject?

I am a parent myself and am constantly debating what good and bad parenting is. The answers are always nuanced but in the case of the parents in "Daughter," what seems reprehensible to us as the viewer is just devotion and care to them. 

What was the biggest challenge you faced during the production of your short film? How did you overcome it?

The creation and execution of the monster was the biggest challenge. It needed to move a specific way which was a challenge for the actress that had to get inside of a stiff cocoon-like shape without suffocating herself. The look was influenced by insect larvae so it needed specific qualities. There was also quite a bit of slime. Unfortunately, we initially worked with incompetent people who lacked skill or vision. Ultimately, that version of the monster not only did not function as it was supposed to but it looked terrible in a comedic amateur way. So we had to start over. 

Fortunately, I met Steven Kostanski, the director of several modern classic horror films like The Void, Psycho Goreman, Deathstalker and an amazing SFX artist. I learned a lot from our conversations and I am extremely happy with how the monster turned out. Steven did a wonderful job guiding me and explaining to me how to approach and execute the monster in the film. His experience and less-is-more philosophy was brilliant. The final result of our collaboration is what you see on screen. 

Can you share a moment, during the release or distribution of your short film, when you felt it truly had an impact on the audience? How did it feel, as the director?

I've had interesting comments from audiences at the various festivals where the film has shown. Some thought the story felt very mature for a horror film and wanted to see a feature length version. But by far my favourite moment was winning the audience award in a film festival in the ARFF Retro Film Festival in Namur. The film was shot in that region and getting their recognition was a great achievement because I took great care in showcasing how that part of the world looks and feels. 

This is a delicate question, but one that resonates with us as artists: why do you create? What is your motivation, and what drives you to explore the themes you explore?

I create because it's a way of life; I want to express ideas, tell a story, entertain, and make people think too. I’m motivated by digging into human behaviours and social structures we take for granted and subverting their layers. This stems not just from my curiosity and interest in human nature, but also to challenge the audience to confront how we truly relate and act toward one another. In my case, horror is imaginative, allows me to wrestle with our complexities in cinematic and messy ways.

Many people on indie-clips.com are independent and/or beginner filmmakers. Could you share a piece of advice with our audience, who might be making their first short film?

Always show up. Make it happen no matter how you have to. That idea in your head remains just an idea until you stop finding excuses or reasons why it can't be more than just an idea. Don’t get caught up with expensive cameras or lenses if you lack those resources.  I've heard some say that the best camera is the one you have access to. Your smartphone has a camera. Practice shooting your ideas with your friends and edit the footage yourself. Editing is the best way to learn screenwriting in my opinion. Don’t be scared to fail because that’s the only way you will learn what you really need. But most importantly show up and work. 

Any upcoming projects? Tell us a bit about what you’re working on next!

I’m currently working on my first feature film called "The Shepherd." It’s a horror stylized like a Western, set in a violent world with much harsher customs and rules than ours. It's inspired by Spartan culture.  I’d like to shoot it in Spain with an international cast.

If you’d like to follow my work you can check out Blue Paper Film Works www.bluepaperfilm.com or @bluepaperfilmworks on Instagram. I also work at Harald House www.haraldhouse.com where we produced my short film "Daughter" and have several other projects in the works.