We are delighted to hold this interview with Romi Banerjee, an independent filmmaker based in Toronto. It’s an honor to have you. Tell us about your journey into the cinematic world—how did you decide to connect your life with film?

Thank you so much for having me. I’m a writer, director, editor, and producer, and I’ve completed five short films so far. My obsession with film started when I was very young. My parents often recall how, at just three years old, I was absolutely glued to Spider-Man 2. I was a very "dreamy" child, and I soon realized that traditional fields like commerce or science weren’t for me. I chose the arts to learn the craft of filmmaking and haven't looked back since.

Tobey Maguire was a hero for many of us! Now, tell us about the work you submitted to our festival. What drove you to make this film?

I wanted to explore a specific kind of darkness. For example, when casting my villain, I was struck by the actress's eyes. In cinema, when you play a psychopath, the eyes are key. We aren't psychopaths, so our eyes react naturally to happiness or curiosity. But a psychopath has detached eyes; they only react when they want to.

My character plays a very sweet, "nice" person—a "nice" villain, if you will. But in reality, she is horrific, perhaps worse than the most infamous figures in history. She maintains a polite facade toward the protagonist the entire time. It’s that antithesis—behaving with kindness while being a monster—that I find fascinating.

If you could describe your film in only three words, what would they be?
 That’s difficult! But I would say: Chaos, Nightmare, and Poise. By "poise," I mean something regal and royal—like someone who would eat their food with perfect, regal composure while the world around them falls apart.