We were lucky to catch up with André & Vito Gogola recently and have shared our conversation below.

André & Vito, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project we’ve worked on is our latest short film “115”, which is a horror film about dating apps. It’s been very meaningful to us because this has been our biggest shoot as of date; we’ve never worked with a crew this big before. We also worked with external producers, a sister duo by the name of Ida & Katrine Dolmer, which also was a very new experience. Adding to that, this is the first time we’ve worked with more complex visual effects, which was also a challenge and a great learning experience. This is also the first horror film we’ve made, and we have found it so enjoyable that we actually want our next project–our debut feature–to be a horror film too.

Generally speaking, this film has a special place in our hearts for the reason that we managed to succeed with what we set out to do. We usually work with the mindset that the last thing we’ve done is the best thing we’ve done (so far), and given the success we’ve had at festivals and how well-received it’s been, we’re finally at a point where we can confidently say we succeeded. It was a very long, tedious and challenging project at times, which is why it feels meaningful to actually having reached our goal.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

We’re André & Vito Gogola, two Swedish filmmaker brothers who write and directed movies together. We’ve always been interested in artistic subjects, but it wasn’t until we were around 12 years where we realized that film was the art form we loved the most. Ever since our late teens we’ve been making short films more seriously, a few examples being a dating app horror short called “115”, which has won three awards for Best Horror at festivals internationally, as well as “Broken Swedish”, a coming-of-age drama that actually received nationwide coverage during its release (which is a bit unusual given that it’s a short!).

Up until this point, we’ve made many different types of short films, often working in a variety of genres. Our last film is our horror short, and we loved the process so much that we would want our next project–our debut feature–to be in the horror genre as well. In regards to what sets us apart from others, it’s hard to say since we’re still quite early in our career, but the path of exploring the horror and thriller genre in our home country of Sweden, as well as the rest of Scandinavia, is one that intrigues us.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

For us, making movies has never really felt like a choice. It’s felt more like a prerequisite to enjoying life. When we were younger we usually said that we would keep making movies no matter what–even if we had to support ourselves with a job we didn’t like or didn’t pay well–and we still believe that to be true. Having that said, we’ve had an amazing support from our parents in being able to pursue this dream, and we do our best to not take it for granted. Pursuing a difficult path like filmmaking isn’t easy and the world doesn’t really owe you future success. That’s why the joy of making movies has been pivotal. If we didn’t love it, we’d probably stop a long time ago. Although money and career undoubtedly becomes more and more important as you get older, the main fuel in our creative pursuit has always been the love of it. We couldn’t really see ourselves not making movies.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is probably to follow the process from an initial idea to a complete film. What makes the journey even more enjoyable is if the film actually gains traction and finds an audience. With our horror short “115”, we experienced that firsthand when we attended the premiere screening at the Berlin Short Film Festival. We had never physically seen the film together with an audience, and definitely not with an audience full of strangers! Hearing them react to the movie–in a positive way–and being able to meet moviegoers afterwards and hear what they liked about the film awakened a new sense of appreciation for filmmaking.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.gogolabrothers.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gogolabrothers
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gogolabrothers
• Twitter: http://www.x.com/gogolabrothers
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/gogolabrothers

Image Credits

All photos: Mattias Almqvist