When setting out to do what became BALLAST, I had technically speaking, one intention only - to tell someone’s story without leaning on any heavy use of dialogue. The idea came when I was staying in an old factory in Poland on a similar mattress. One night I woke up, and the air was going out. My bodyweight made the mattress wrap around me like a hot dog. I was too sleepy to get up and do something about it, so I reached for the switch and hoped for the best. It surprised me how strong the pump was since it managed to lift me without the slightest problem. I fell asleep and woke up in the morning, laying again on the concrete floor. During those days, I was reading about the childhood of a Norwegian mass murderer. The book describes how the little boy was doing all sorts of odd behaviour, presumably to get seen. The lack of dialogue in the film is a conscious choice, one that reflects the child’s inability to express himself through words. Both the film and the child opt to express themselves through action. While the film succeeds, the child fails miserably.

A graduate of the prestigious Lodz film school, Daniel is a filmmakers filmmaker and a magician behind the camera. His music videos have enjoyed tremendous praise, making Daniel a sought after artist to collaborate with. His latest short film Ballast is currently enjoying film festival success.