Meet the SXSW Filmmakers #43: Victor Teran and Youssef Delara Discuss Their Dubstep Tinged Thriller ‘Snap’
Shades of Scorsese and Refn follow much of Victor Teran and Youssef Delara’s psychological thriller “Snap,” but the directors are able to adeptly insert their own demented to twists to make the film something both unique and frightening. Sensitive souls should stay far away, but those looking for something more shocking in their SXSW lineup should be sure to give the film a shot.
What is it about? A stylish psychological thriller set against the underground dub step DJ
scene that takes the audience on a dark and terrifying journey into the
depths of the psychopathic mind as it threatens to explode into
horrific violence.
About the filmmaker: We’ve been working as a team in one way or another since 2004 when
Youssef wrote and directed and Victor produced our first film, ENGLISH
AS A SECOND LANGUAGE.We’ve made three more films together since then —
BEDROOMS, FILLY BROWN (which will be out in theaters Spring, 2013) and
SNAP. On each one of the films, we keep trying to advance our craft,
push into new genres and, most importantly, tell stories we care about.
SNAP is our first true co-directing effort.
What else do you want audiences to know about your film?
This is a scary film about things people are afraid of in real life – rejection, failure, abandonment – and violent death.
What was your biggest challenge in developing this project? Not everyone is attracted to materials this dark so it took a while to
cast a couple of the roles. The trick was finding people as deranged as
we are. Once we did that, the rest was a cakewalk.
What would you like SXSW audiences to come away with after seeing your film? That even the most seemingly inexplicable human atrocities make sense to the people who commit them.
Did any specific films inspire you? We’d be lying if we didn’t cite TAXI DRIVER as an influence and most
film buffs will have no trouble seeing that. A less obvious influence
was THE SHINING, particularly for the seamless way that film’s
protagonist evolves into its antagonist.
What camera did you shoot on? Red MX
Did you crowdfund? If yes, using what platform? No. But if anyone wants to donate money to us, we’ll accept
What did you edit on? Final Cut Pro 7
What do you have in the works? We’re developing a whole slate of projects written by one or the other
of us, both feature films and television. On the front burner are RUNG, a
stylized drama series about headhunters in the Go-Go business world of
1980’s and MARCHING BANDA, a latino music dramedy about an estranged
father and son who reconnect when the father becomes the son’s marching
band director and tries to introduce the band to Mexican regional music.
Indiewire invited SXSW directors to tell us about their films,
including what inspired them, the challenges they faced and what they’re
doing next. We’ll be publishing their responses leading up to the 2013
festival.
Keep checking HERE every day up to the launch of the festival on March 8 for the latest profiles.
