BRB: To begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers and share a little about your journey into cinema?

I'm Javier Chavanel, and I've worked on TV series and film as a script supervisor. I was also a scriptwriter for an animated series called Pocoyo… I started making short films, and I'm still making them.

BRB: Your film NAP was a finalist for Best Dark Comedy at the BR Banshee Festival. How do you see this recognition within the context of your career so far?

Well, it's always a source of pride and honor to be recognized. And the fact that this short film has reached so far makes me very happy. And that more people can continue to see it.

BRB: NAP has such an intriguing premise, where sleep becomes a matter of survival. What inspired you to create a story that plays with something so essential and universal?

The idea came to me while I was dreaming. I had a dream one morning with almost the entire story already in my head. A stroke of luck.

BRB: Your previous short film Sonrisas collected an impressive number of awards and selections. Did that experience shape the way you approached NAP?

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No. Nap is a different short film. Nap is a different story. When I made Nap, I completely forgot about smiles.

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BRB: NAP is based on your book Apps. How different is the process of transforming your own writing into a cinematic experience compared to adapting someone else’s work?

That was the challenge: adaptation. Adapting the words to images. And that required being very specific with the space and the characters. The story is longer than the short film, so we had to make adjustments to the script and cut things down.

BRB: You have written horror literature as well as directed for film and television. How do these different formats challenge and enrich you as a storyteller?

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It all really comes down to telling a story. Telling a story and connecting with the audience.

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BRB: If you could take unlimited resources to expand NAP into a feature-length film, how would you imagine that version looking and feeling?

The magnitude of the horror would be greater, it would acquire another dimension. The experiment would be taken to cities where the problems would be greater.

BRB: Having worked across genres and mediums, what is something unexpected you have learned from audiences’ reactions to your stories?

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Honestly, I'm still learning. I never know how people will react. I feel like I know less and less, honestly. I think the best place to start is if you like the material you're making.

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BRB: Your stories often orbit around horror, dark humor, and unsettling scenarios. What attracts you to these territories of storytelling?

 

In creation, I like to escape the ordinary. The world of bills, work, and money is truly terrifying to me. The world of monsters, vampires, the dead, and ghosts means liberation, a pleasant escape. There's nothing more terrifying than the real world. Fictional horror is like going to an amusement park, and that's why I love it.

BRB: Which filmmakers, films, or artistic influences have left the strongest mark on your creative vision?

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In the world of books Stephen King, of course. Clive Barker, Patricia Highsmith, Roal Dahl

In the cinema, David Fincher, Spielberg, Kubrick, Vince Gilligan, Carpenter.

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BRB: Do you see horror and dark comedy as reflections of society’s fears and absurdities, or more as personal obsessions you want to explore?

Both. My personal fears and obsessions are caused by the society we live in.

BRB: Looking ahead, what kind of stories do you dream of telling in the future, and in which médium do you imagine them taking shape?

I have so many stories in my head, and that's what terrifies me. It makes me anxious not knowing if I'll be able to carry them out. The easiest medium, because it depends entirely on me, is literature. Film is more complicated, and it's a miracle to be able to make a film. I'll keep working, but the medium I use is a mystery.