Courtesy of Eric Kolelas

Short Film ‘HOLD’, available to watch at the end of the conversation.

On 2^nd February, Eric Kolela’s Short Film ‘HOLD’ premiered online. He is the Director of this Short Film, and also acted in it as a lonely man wandering around on his own in a post-apocalyptic world, when he suddenly comes across another human being. I was lucky enough to get in touch with the Director himself and have a bit of chat about him and his Short Film.

The London Tree: Hi Eric, it’s a pleasure to get in touch with you. Please tell us a bit about yourself, and how does it feel to have your film premiered online?

Eric Kolelas: My name is Eric Kolelas, and I am an actor in London. I’ve been acting for about 5 years now. After struggling to be seen for auditions for roles, I started to make my own short films, Hold is my latest one. Premiering it online is rather exciting, it means all the hard work that went into making the film can now be seen by a much bigger audience, but it’s quite nerve racking at the same time, as that same scale audience could dislike your work. Film is such a subjective medium, so it’s hard to tell how much the audience will appreciate a film.

Eric Kolelas.
Picture Courtesy of Eric Kolelas

The London Tree: I see that you have yourself Directed and Acted in ‘HOLD’. Does acting come more naturally to you or direction, or is it a bit of both?

Eric Kolelas: At this point of my life, I would say that acting is what would come more naturally to me. Before I started acting, I studied filmmaking and directing for a few years, so I guess as a by-product of my involvement in both disciplines, my acting often informs my directing and vice-versa.

Eric Kolelas.
Picture Courtesy of Eric Kolelas

The London Tree: The short film to me gives a feeling of helplessness along with hope. Is that what you were trying to portray in the short film?

Eric Kolelas: I was trying to explore what it is we need the most when we have nothing left, and how it affects our emotions, our state of mind and perspective on life. I just felt that regardless of how much hope one may or may not have, having someone, whether it be as a witness, a companion, a collaborator or an opposing force, is always part of the equation. I thought it would be interesting to note that the sheer presence of someone has an effect on us as human beings.

Amanda Fernando Stevens with Eric Kolelas.
Picture Courtesy of Eric Kolelas

The London Tree: Do you think that coming across another human being, and that being the opposite sex (played by Amanda Fernando Stevens) has a symbolical meaning in the short film?

Eric Kolela: I was definitely trying to play with the male/female power relation that we are used to see where men see women as a commodity for sex. So the gender attribution did have a role to play in establishing that one message (out of many.) But the real symbolism only takes shape when what happens with each character on an emotional level challenges the status-quo.

The London Tree: After making previous two short films and this being the third, would you continue on making short films or would there be a feature film in the future?

Eric Kolelas: I have been playing the idea of making a feature, I have so many ideas on stand-by, but getting a feature film off the ground is a completely different ball game altogether. I also really want to spend more time focusing on just acting. I’m still weighing up my options at the moment.

The London Tree: Thank you for your time Eric and I hope all the best for you in your future projects and career.

Eric Kolelas: You’re welcome and thank you too for supporting and liking my short film.

Amanda Fernando Stevens and Eric Kolelas.
Picture Courtesy of Eric Kolelas

Director Eirc Kolela’s Short Film ‘HOLD’ was shown in Euro Shorts Film Festival 2014 in Poland, and also had an Official Selection in Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2014 in United Kingdom and BornShorts Film Festival 2014 in Denmark.

For more informatoon on Eirc Kolela’s Short Film ‘HOLD’ visit www.HOLDshortfilm.com.

The Title Picture is Courtesy of Eric Kolela and is taken from EricKolelas.com

The Pictures within the article are Courtesy of Eric Kolelas and can be viewed on www.HOLDshortfilm.com.