Director's Statement:

To be honest, the reason behind making this short film was a bit of a dare for myself. As I started my career in directing earlier this year (2023), I just wanted to do romantic film because that is my comfort genre. I live and breathe in romantic films/series, so deep down I knew I wanted to make romantic films. Though my first film was a thriller genre, the story I wrote was more based on real life incidents with my elements of fiction such as the manipulated romantic connection. So in some way I did include the romance element in my films. And I have done that with this film too. However, this romantic element takes a deep dark turn.

When I started writing this film, I based the whole story around the genre of horror - the genre that scares me, makes my heart race and makes me sweat. I believed that this was the end of the spectrum genre that I knew I wanted to stay away from. But after doing my romantic sequel, I felt I needed a change, but little did I know it would be a change in genre dramatically. When I talked about wanting a change to one of my closest friend, he said 'do a horror film'. I looked at him like ' come on, be serious, I could never do one.' And the question that lingered was ' why can't I? So I challenged myself to write a horror, but eventually it turned into a psychological horror after over 40 drafts of the story over 5 months. I just did not want to incorporate blood and all the messy elements into the story as I didn't feel ready yet. So I am yet to write a true horror film, with blood ahah. ( I believe, if there is no blood and death, it isn't a true horror film )

Round 2: I threw another challenge on my face : Filming Indoors. Now this is like another fear of mine because coming from a production design background, I get caught up in the details within those four walls, which can be a distraction and it was a great distraction on set. But I decided to face the fear head-on and go beyond my comfort zone which was so terrifying and stressful on set haha. Filming indoors was not the only issue, the issue was that I wanted to try directing and production design together. Maybe this project was not the one for testing those crazy ambitions of mine but it did teach me how to manage my stress very well. 

As mentioned before, the story went over 40 drafts over 5 months - it was a great writing challenge. I aimed to keep it under 10 minutes, refining the plot as much as possible. Originally, the idea was about how Alex collects roses from his ex-girlfriends, a sort of memory lane thing. But it took a darker turn, revealing Alex's sinister side, treating those roses as trophies from his victims. The idea for the mannequin came from a previous project where I planned to build a statue as a production designer but never got around to it. The mannequin was my way of scratching that itch and adding to the story. I am not sure why I was challenging myself so much with this film but I wanted to make this a 5 minute film. Though I did manage to write the story on 5 pages, the film is over 5 minutes long. I believe that making a 5 minute or under is such a difficult task as a creative which I want to have a go at! I did fail here at this project to accomplish that challenge but I will try again in the future for a 5 minute film. Who knows maybe that 5 minute film is a true horror film ahah.

Setting the film in the 1970s wasn't part of the plan but ended up being a cool coincidence. In my first-ever short film, 'Love Yourself First' (2023), there's a book about American cinema in the 1970s. It wasn't intentional, but that little detail stuck in my head, and I thought, why not make it an Easter egg in this film?

In the end, everything clicked. 'Happy Anniversary' turned out to be a proud challenge for me. It not only pushed my directing skills but also helped me overcome my fears in filmmaking and being a creative. The film's got a synergy that I'm really proud of—unexpected depth and satisfaction in every frame. In the future, I would definitely try to complete all the challenges I threw at myself in this film as it did tickle my senses and brain on set a-lot which doesn't happen too often. In the end, I am so so proud of the whole cast and crew for being amazing during the shoot!

Synopsis:

 Alex and Aella navigate a tumultuous relationship marked by a painful separation on their anniversary. Alex, haunted by the past, attempts to move forward with a new love interest, Alice. However, Aella refuses to let go, stalking Alex as he attempts to rebuild his life.

As the story unfolds, Alex's eerie obsession with a mannequin and a red scarf intensifies. Aella's desperation to reclaim their love leads her to unsettling discoveries, revealing the darker depths of Alex's psyche. Aella's emotional turmoil escalates as she witnesses Alex's efforts to create a new life with Alice.

The narrative takes a sinister turn when Alex's twisted actions are exposed, leading to a shocking and tragic climax in the backyard. As Alice becomes a victim of Alex's distorted desires, Aella is left in shock, torn between her love for Alex and the horrifying reality of his actions.

Genre:

Thriller and Mystery 

The Cast:

Byron Donovan as Alex
Florence Caruana as Aella
Ieva Tamošiūnaitė as Alice

The Crew:

Writer and Director : Melfin Pereira🍀 
Producer : Beksultan Tolomushev
Director of Photography : Marc Nickl 
Production Designer : Melfin Pereira🌸
Prop Master : Katrina Jade Roberts
Sound Recordist : Donna Ann Cyril
Second Sound Recordist: Enrique Kisten
Editor : Marc Nickl
1st Assistant Director : Enrique Kisten
Assistant Camera : Kurush N. Dhondy
Gaffer / Grip :  Qinglong Liu
Colourist : Marc Nickl

 Composer : Ned Prevezer
Sound Designer : Ameer Asyraf

Shoot Date: 

16th - 17th November 2023

Completion Date:

31st May 2024

Release Date:

31st October 2025

Social Media Presence : 

IMDbInstagram

Awards: N/A

Nominee :

N/A