Bruno Mourral
screenwriter to watch
Bio:
Bruno Mourral is a director, writer, and producer. While studying film in Paris, he started directing commercials for Blue Mango an advertising agency in Haiti. In 2007, he returned to Haiti where he founded Muska Group, one of the leading company in audiovisual production. Bruno’s talent led him to direct more than 50 commercials in the Caribbean and Africa. He won several awards for best commercials in international festivals. Today, Bruno focuses on writing, directing and producing heartfelt movies, he will be directing Kidnapping Inc. in 2018, co-produced by Muska Films, Promenades Films and Canal Plus Antilles.
How did you break in?
I started writing since I was in film school in 2004. Unsatisfied with my first scripts, I knew that I needed some collaboration. In 2013, I teamed up with Samuel and Gilbert to work on the script of Kidnapping Inc. Since then, we’ve always worked together and wrote the film Kafou which I directed and produced. The film was nominated for best film at the Austin Film Festival and has been selected in 15 Festivals and counting.
Credits:
Director, Writer, Producer
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned?
I am still learning from each new versions of my scripts. One of the biggest lessons about writing is that you shouldn’t be afraid of accepting your weaknesses. For example, If you have great ideas and strong storytelling, but not efficient dialogues, then it’s ok to team up with the right person to get the best out of your script. Another great lesson is that without conflict there is no script.
What has been your hardest scene to write?
The hardest project is the one we are still finishing at this moment. We started writing Kidnapping Inc. in 2013 and we are just finishing the final version. The best way to face a challenge is to get fresh eyes from someone that will provide you constructive criticism. We hired a script consultant who gave us feedback and helped us move forward. We went into 4 different directions/stories before we got to this final version. We will be shooting during the fall and hope we made the right decisions with our final script.
What do you feel was your turning point?
I have a commercial background but always wanted to shoot narrative feature. After shooting more then 50 commercials, in 2013 I decided to stop shooting commercials to focus on what I’ve always wanted to do. So I started working on my personal project which led me to Kafou and now Kidnapping Inc.
What are you working on right now?
We’ve just finalized the script of our next feature entitled Kidnapping Inc. We are waiting to hear back from the CNC (National Center of Cinematography and the Moving Image) for funding in March to start the production in fall.
What are your favorite movies?
This is always a difficult question, because it’s not easy to choose among so many. Just to name a few, here’s a list of my favorites films:
–Dr Strangelove
–Singin’ in the Rain
–Raging Bull
–Pulp Fiction
–Les 3 Frères
–The Matrix
–A Beautiful Mind
–City of God
–Memento
–Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
–The Hunt (Jagten)
–Polisse
–The Wolf of Wall Street
–Whiplash
–The Lobster
Who are your favorite screenwriters?
Charlie Kaufman, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Yorgos Lanthimo, Paul Schrader
What is your most Memorable AFF Moment?
The Austin Film Festival was an unforgettable experience. I was very surprised the day I arrived at the beautiful Driskill Hotel to see how many writers was in that lobby. I’ve bumped into a writer that I worked back in 2009 in NYC. We’ve reshaped contact and we spent a few nights with my co-writers and him about collaborating in a future project that we have in the pipeline. We really appreciate the support of the festival staff that made our second screening a success!