WhatKilledTimmyBenson

In a quiet, snow-covered village, young Timmy Benson crosses paths with his best friend, Ylja. When she is suddenly taken by an invisible force, Timmy embarks on a desperate search that leads him deep into the woods, where something evil has long been waiting.

WhatKilledTimmyBenson began at a time when I was searching for a new creative direction.

After spending twelve years playing in a band, that chapter of my life came to an end. Around the same period, life quietly demanded a different kind of strength, and I found myself looking for something I could completely immerse myself in. Without realising it at the time, filmmaking became exactly that.

Although I had already been working as a 3D generalist for several years, I knew almost nothing about character animation or storytelling. None of that mattered. I simply started. One character, one environment and one shot at a time.

The very first image came from a dream: children floating silently in dark water. That image stayed with me for years before eventually becoming the film's final shot.

Although WhatKilledTimmyBenson tells a fictional story, its emotional core is deeply personal. Timmy and Ylja became an innocent reflection of my wife and me, while the creature pursuing them gradually evolved into a physical manifestation of depression itself.

Looking back, I don't think I spent ten years making a film. I spent ten years becoming a filmmaker.

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