THE AFTERBIRTH 
Q&A with Co-Director Ignacio Rodo

THE AFTERBIRTH is a bewitching short film about a conversation between twins while still in the womb. Expansive concepts flow freely between the siblings, opening our minds to endless possibilities. I first came across this short last fall, and was mesmerized ever since. The concept seems simple, just a conversation about what is to come, but the love behind the animation makes this short so much more. I had the pleasure to chat with Ignacio Rodo about THE AFTERBIRTH, and it’s time the world has a glimpse into the passion behind his filmmaking.

What was your experience like with entering into the different festivals? Were you able to go to a few of them? What was that experience like?
It’s been a little bit more than a year since THE AFTERBIRTH started its festival run and so far it’s been selected in 50 festivals in 4 different continents. We have been very happy to see this story makes sense the same in Europe, America, Asia or Africa. This was already a nice payback, realizing it’s a universal story. And then we’ve been able to go to some of the festivals and it has been an amazing experience. I believe it’s not the typical short film you come across with, and not everybody loves it, but the people who connect with it, are really touched by it, and come to you after the screening to share their emotions and their thoughts. It has been a beautiful gift.

What was the deciding factor into entering these festival?
We wanted the short to have its festival run before releasing it to the audience online. There was never money involved in the short film, everybody did it for free and we always said it was about sharing, so we knew it would soon be online for free. The funny thing with the festivals is that we thought it would be selected specially in animation festivals, and in the end more generic festivals have decided to screen it. 

It’s a beautiful analogy to a higher power, and I love the way it forces the audience to shift our perception of the ‘afterlife.’ Where did you come up with the concept for the adaptation of the book? (I’m not familiar with the original work, so I apologize if my information is incorrect.) 
It all began when I found a picture on the internet with two babies inside the mother’s womb and there was a caption: “Do you believe in mom?” I immediately saw there was a short film there. I started researching and I found 3 different authors that had written a dialogue with that concept. The one from Wayne Dyer (it’s a fragment in his book ‘Your Sacred Life’) was the one that resonated more with me, the text was beautiful and the metaphors were powerful. I gave it a beginning and an ending and I started looking for a team.

How long did it take you to work on this project? Did the concept change over time?
I spent more than a year looking for the perfect partner to do this, as I had never done animation. Then I found Blanca Bonet, the co-director, illustrator and animator. We had some sessions to see if we were on the same page, and after that, it took us nine months to finish the short film. We actually realized it had taken 9 months after 1 year in festivals. It was just a happy, beautiful accident, as it couldn’t be more perfect for the gestation of the short film to be same as a baby’s one. About the concept, in this case it was always the same.

What was the casting process like, especially when the voice actors/characters are what the story is centered on.
Before I even had an animator, I got two kids who were under 10 years old and recorded a voice over reference. It was beautiful, sweet and full of truth. I was really tempted to go in that direction as I prefer the truth of a real kid rather than an adult pretending to be a kid. However, it’s such a spiritual dialogue, that you could tell the children didn’t know most of the things they were saying, they couldn’t feel it. So I started searching for voice actresses in Barcelona. I was lucky to find Molly Malcolm and Sophie O very quickly, and they decided they wanted to be part of the project. The recording with them was really easy, they’re very talented and they got the tone very fast. I remember we recorded a few takes, but even the first one was awesome.

You are on the ground floor of what an indie director is doing, creating and seeking opportunities for people to see your work. What is your driving force behind that?
I guess there are two driving forces, some times one fighting the other. As a filmmaker, after creating something, you just want to share it with the world, see if it touches people and it reaches its proper audience. And as a professional of the industry, you want to get a name, recognition and experience, to help you build your career. This case was special, because I had only directed live short films so far and this was my first animation. As I have no intention of doing animation for a living, this project was just because I felt deep down that I had to adapt this story. So it was just about sharing a beautiful metaphor and make people think about death and the afterlife.

What has been the biggest thing you’ve learned through your career so far?
That is a really tough question. Maybe I would say the importance of enduring. Filmmaking is a long-distance race. With every project you can learn something about storytelling, teamwork or leadership. You keep improving your craft and you keep getting better. So there’s a big part of never giving up, keep working and believing. Many talented people can’t take it and they leave before they have their chance. So being always there while you get better is a path to success.

Looking at your IMDB page, you have concentrated in shorts. Is there a reason you are attracted to the short format? 
I believe the shorts are the best school if you’re preparing to do features and TV. After all, the narrative structure is usually the same, and you have a short amount of time to develop it, so it’s a great challenge. And by doing a short film from beginning to end, many times, you keep learning different things. And of course, some stories suit better the short format. I’ll always love it both as a filmmaker and as a spectator. But I also think I’ve done enough and now it’s time to jump to the longer format.

Where can people find you; site, social media, ect. Do you have anything coming up? Is Vimeo the best place to watch THE AFTERBIRTH?
I’m on Instagram at the moment: @ignacio.rodo. I’m also about to premiere a new short film, Deep down. It’s always better to watch a film in a big screen with a bigger audience, there’s something about a bunch of people in a room together, focused on watching the same thing, with their cellphones turned off, that creates a special energy, and it helps connecting with what the film is trying to convey. But of course, if you don’t get to see it in a festival, Vimeo is great! 

Please head over to Vimeo to watch THE AFTERBIRTH and to Rodo’s website for more information about his films.

Questions written by Lisa M Mejia
Images provided by Ignacio Rodo