Table of Contents
There is a particular kind of filmmaking bravery in committing fully to an idea that sounds ridiculous on paper. Behind — Alessio Avezzano's genre-hopping short built around the tagline "The end is rear" — begins with a global butt-dial outbreak and follows it, with a straight face, into nightmare. Shot across Scotland's Central Belt on very little money, it is the product of persistence and a cast and crew willing to chase a strange vision.
The spark was personal and absurd: a cousin who accidentally butt-dialled Avezzano every day for nearly a week. From that small annoyance grew a film that dances between comedy, horror, and science fiction while quietly picking up something about how we divide ourselves and let small problems fester.
Key Takeaways
- Behind grew from a real-life week of accidental butt-dials into a deadpan global outbreak story.
- The film was shot independently across Scotland's Central Belt, including Clune Park Estate just before its demolition.
- Avezzano treats genre as a playground, sliding between comedy, horror, sci-fi, and social commentary by design.
Here, Avezzano talks about turning a stupid idea into a serious film, the freedom of making it himself, and what comes next.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
Behind started as me trying to take a really stupid idea and treat it seriously. The spark came from my cousin accidentally butt dialling me every day for nearly a week. After a few days I started thinking about what it would look like if something that small got completely out of hand.
The script sat around for a couple of years while I tried to get it made in the usual ways. It never quite landed. After my last short Midgies found an audience online, I was reminded that it is often better to just go and make the thing. So that is what we did. Very little money, a lot of persistence, and a brilliant cast and crew who came on board and made it happen.
We shot across the Central Belt in Scotland, including Clune Park Estate just before it was demolished.
Somewhere along the way it started to pick up on things I did not plan. Phone addiction, how people divide themselves, how small problems get worse when no one backs down. There are probably traces of the pandemic in there as well.
What is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into it on this project?
The greatest strength is being able to do what you want. I tried for a long time to get funding for the short film and ultimately this film wouldn't exist if I didn't just get some like-minded friends together and make it ourselves.
What tool, technique, resource, or mindset shift helped most during production?
Being able to pick up and replace shots by myself is a skill I'm very thankful I have.
How does your film fit within, or push the boundaries of, its genre or form?
This film by design dances across various genres, which is a challenge I really enjoy. It's a comedy, it's a horror, it's a sci-fi and it's a social commentary, but then it's a comedy again.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
I hope they have a great time watching it, is all, to be honest. At the core of all my work is a desire to make people laugh.
What does it mean to have your film selected for Not Film Fest?
As a half Italian filmmaker I'm very excited to be joining this film festival. Out of any country outside the UK, bringing my film to Italy comes with a true sense of pride.
How has this film shaped the kinds of stories you want to tell next, and where do you see it going?
This film prepared me for my feature film, Midgies, which we have now shot and is currently in post production.
I'm also really excited to put Behind on my YouTube channel, which has over 180,000 subscribers. It has enjoyed a nice festival run, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs online.
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