5Q's w/: Christian Loubek "BELIEF" Director, Writer, Producer

QUESTION#1: What excited you the most when making this film?: The Uninhibited Freedom that came with making an entirely personal film devoid of any professional ambitions or agenda. BELIEF is personal, it began as a love letter written for actress Erika Hamilton when she was pregnant with our first child. After sharing the script with her, we waited 10 years until those kids (unborn at the time of writing) were old enough to play the central roles alongside her. There’s so much to this movie we could never have anticipated when we first imagined it including our beautiful community of actors and film professionals that came out in support to make this film happen.

QUESTION#2: What was the most significant film you've seen AT THE THEATER in 2024, and how did it influence your filmmaking?: PERFECT DAYS was released in early 2024 and surprised us. At a time, when the prevailing trend was extremes of the human condition, this film took stock of all the everyday, unceremonious moments and made something special out of it. In this way, it gave permission to make a film without reliance on big, obvious plot points and gutting trauma.

QUESTION#3: What's an obvious and not-so-obvious question someone might ask about your film?: Audiences are often surprised by the end of our film and the most common question is how we arrived at this story. Without giving too much away, an unfortunate event in our lives seeded a deep intention to honor the uniquely transcendent power of mothers. There’s no relationship more potent on the planet than one of mother & child. Yet in today’s society, so much is made about all the damage parents inflict on their children. With BELIEF we felt it important to cut across the grain of conventional thought. If we’re gonna hold Parent's accountable for all the harm inflicted in childhood, it’s only right to acknowledge the contribution made to our success as well. Apologize in advance for any puffy eyes.

QUESTION#4: A magic movie genie is giving you an unlimited budget for your next production! However, you're only allowed to use it on either "above line" or "below line" resouces. Which do you choose and why?: Tough question as I think we all yearn for parity in the business. But if I interpret the hypothetical above as the choice to make an epic story vs work with elite talent – I’d push the latter. I learned that lesson again on BELIEF. There's one scene in particular where Erika Hamilton's performance as a mother sending her son off to college is just such a rich tapestry of conflicted emotion. All of my favorite films rely on rich, complicated characters. I suppose we’re a pretty myopic species in that regard but people are infinitely fascinating in the choices they make and the emotions they carry. And there are certain actors that are just so adept at reflecting emotion in all life's complexity.

QUESTION#5: What is it about your current movie that will influence your next film?: Sounds trivial but it was a stretch to make such an entirely earnest film. I realized in the process of making BELIEF that I’ve always leaned on humor, style or some element of cleverness in past work and the epiphany was that those attributes can be a crutch too. Shedding those constructs required an artistic maturity and growth that I hope to carry forward in my work. I’m grateful audiences are connecting with BELIEF.

Social media tags to share with our readers: https://www.instagram.com/belief_film/ WRITER/DIRECTOR: https://www.instagram.com/christianloubek/ ACTOR/PRODUCER: https://www.instagram.com/iam.erikahamilton/ ACTOR: https://www.instagram.com/mykeeselkin/ CINEMATOGRAPHER: https://www.instagram.com/derekbauerdp/