Nicolas Keppens discusses his stop-motion film about the vulnerable journey of 3 balding brothers who travel to Istanbul for hair transplants.
Belgian filmmaker Nicolas Keppens is known for his animated short films Superstars (2012), Wildebeest (2017) and Easter Eggs (2020), a story about finding extraordinary things in ordinary places. And, similarly, his latest short film, Beautiful Men is also about finding something unexpectedly lovely in a not-so-glamorous situation.
Directed by Keppens and produced by Animal Tank (Brecht Van Elslande), Miyu Productions (Emmanuel-Alain Raynal and Pierre Baussaron) and Ka-Ching Cartoons (Joost Van Den Bosch and Erik Verkerk), Beautiful Men uses stop-motion to tell a story of the vulnerable journey of three balding brothers who travel to Istanbul to get hair transplants. Stuck with each other in a hotel far from home, their insecurities grow faster than the little hair they still have.
But, then again, insecurities have a funny and beautiful way of bringing people together, even production teams. In the Making Of featurette, Keppens shared that he and the three main actors of the film grew so close, they now try to get together once a month.
Beautiful Men has been nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards - which takes place Sunday, March 2 - alongside four other short films: Magic Candies, Wander to Wonder, Yuck! and In the Shadow of the Cypress.
AWN has interviewed each of the directors to discuss the origin of their film, learn about its production, and better understand why they chose to tell this particular story.
Keppens shared with AWN the struggles of creating his meticulously crafted animated short and the origins of such a unique plotline. But first, check out the film’s trailer and Making Of featurette.
Victoria Davis: Where did the idea for Beautiful Men come from?
Nicolas Keppens: When going on a work trip to Istanbul, my colleague booked, without knowing, a hotel which had a collaboration with a clinic for hair transplants. During breakfast in the morning, the room was filled with balding men, eating their granola in silence. It was a very touching sight. The tenderness spoke to me and led to a way of telling a story about male insecurities.
VD: What was the urgency, the need, for you to tell this story now? What messages or feelings did you want to share with your audience?
NK: I wanted to see for myself if I could tell a story about an image of masculinity I could relate to. Also, it was a challenge to tell a tale with characters unable to push the narrative forward.
VD: How did you settle on this film's animation style and character design? How do you feel the visuals enhance the story?
NK: The film was first developed as a 2D film. But, after the last draft of the script, it became much more a story about loneliness and tactility. These are both visual characteristics that I strongly relate with stop-motion.
VD: What were the biggest challenges during the production?
NK: It was my first stop-motion and, due to budget-reasons, we had to film in the conference room of the local cultural center. So, basically every physical aspect of the technique was a challenge.
VD: In total, how long did it take to produce this film? How big was the team?
NK: One year of writing and storyboarding, followed by 10 months of set building and six months of filming. There were two animators working non-stop on three stages.
VD: What are your hopes as you continue heading through festival and awards season? Many people say they don't make films for the accolades. So how do you hope the film touches people and gets recognized?
NK: I'm already more than happy with how it went. Every screening, big or small, is just great as it's the main goal to reach people with the stories I want to tell.
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime. She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment. Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
