FX & Mat, Nexus Productions

Just the Facts: Age – 25 (FX), 24 (Mat); Hometown – Nice, France (FX); Paris, France (Mat); Education – Supinfocom, Valenciennes; Employ – signed to Nexus in November 2008.

Previous Experience: FX & Mat began their coupledom (they joke that they spend so much time together that they might as well be a couple) working on their graduation short En Tus Brazos, which won an award of excellence at Siggraph. Although working in animation they’re largely influenced by traditional cinema. “We couldn’t study cinema in school because we failed that exam,” laughs FX.

Hold Me: En Tus Brazos features a couple dancing the tango. The idea came from a six-month study trip that FX took to South America. While in Argentina, he met the dancers and musicians who inspired the film. “We were very involved with the tango during the production of the film because we wanted it to feel like Buenos Aires,” says FX, referring to the copious hours they spent in tango ballrooms. “We didn’t want to make a cliché of it but rather something quite sensitive.” The duo achieved the look, but at the expense of one thing: “Now we hate the tango,” jokes Mat.

Future Work: The duo has three short films in the pipeline, two animation and one live action. They’re also working on a French/Argentine co-production that will feature five directors helming five short films that will eventually be released as one feature. The duo describes the year-long process as so far being intense.

Nexus Productions