Director Jaime Falero Talks PROJECT 12 THE BUNKER and More

I recently had the chance to do an interview via email with Spanish film Director Jaime Falero. The young filmmaker, who recently did the action thriller PROJECT 12 THE BUNKER, is already working on his next project titled YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE. Read the exchange below to get to know him better.

What are your biggest influences and what do you feel that you bring to the film landscape?

There are many of them and they are very different, from Robert Zemeckis to Sergio Leone, including Scorsese, Spielberg, Ridley Scott and John Carpenter … I have many influences from 70s, 80s and 90s, it ́s impossible to mention them all, but I can tell you that I appreciate a lot the world of cinema, regardless of genre, as in the first place I am a spectator and I watch a lot of movies, it became my school as for a film director, I have never studied for it.

Personally, what I want to bring to the film industry is a lot of high level entertainment with a decent economic return, it’s enough for now and we’ll see what happens.

What was the most challenging thing making The Bunker?

First of all, the budget, we had to make this movie with 700K without dying while trying. The screenplay was written fifteen days before the investment money arrived. What we had was just a sketch, and we used it to create the best screenplay possible to fit this budget.

The filming was prepared in two months and we did it in four weeks, with a single camera, shooting an average of 30 scenes a day (some days it would reach 40).

We obtained the investment without making any presales or closing any distribution contracts, but we were sure that our movie will reach the world market, and that’s the way it happened; since the official release in January of 2016 more than 40 countries purchased it. The movie is currently translated in 20 languages and is being distributed by prestigious companies such as IPA Asia Pacific or Spotlight Pictures, and everything without appearing on the local market in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

How was the experience of being a young filmmaker directing experienced and famous actors?

I have a degree in Dramatic Art, I’m an actor. I understand actors perfectly. Any actor, regardless of fame, recognizes if the director is familiar with the world of acting. James Cosmo, BAFTA Awards winner, has mentioned in Spanish press that I was the real actor’s director, so if he said this, I’m not going to argue. For me it’s much easier to work with the actors with an extended career.

Are you ready, or even interested in swapping Tenerife for Hollywood?

I make movies with a Hollywood “eye”, my main school was American cinema, the only thing is that I make it in Tenerife and almost without money. My goal is to work in Hollywood, I’m a film director which knows how to save on budget, thanks to the high productivity level during filming sets, I feel myself capable of making and kind of production or genre, I just wait for my opportunity.

Meanwhile, I continue to look for funding and to make movies in my homeland, it’s not a small thing.

What can you tell us about your next film YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE?

I can tell you that it will be a great movie with an infinite message. Some of the world famous actors have called the screenplay wonderful from a commercial point of view, comparable with such movies like Crash or Magnolia, but with science fiction shade. The movie release is scheduled for the end of 2017 in Los Angeles.

We’re waiting for the response of three more Stars to complete the main cast, everything thanks to the great work of my representative and friend, Gustavo Cardozo (USA-based actor, manager, producer and casting director). I’d like to make a special mention to the co-producer’s company J. DREAM of Javier Arce Bustamante (Executive producer).