Meet Maxime Brulein: Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maxime Brulein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maxime, what do you think about risk?
Taking risks is essential. Any decision you take, may it be small or big, always involves some level of risk. One of the biggest risks I ever took, and which pretty much changed my life forever, was to leave Belgium and move to the US to start UCLA Film School. Growing up, I always knew I was going to be a filmmaker, and knew I would one day make that dream come through in the US. Everyone around me thought I was just daydreaming. Until I actually moved and took the big step! Was it scary? Yes. I knew that with a student visa I would not be able to work and earn money while being at school, so that was really the biggest struggle and risk at the time. Not knowing how I would survive here financially.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started making films at the age of 12 when my family gave me my first camera: a Single 8 mm film camera. Because it didn’t have sound, I made sure that the stories I was telling were all in the images I was shooting. And because I would always use my sister and my cousins, who were all girls, my cast was predominately female. Something that became a recurring aspect in my screenplays and films today: strong female lead characters. I always knew I wanted to go to film school but realized early on that I would have to go to a school in the capital of film itself: Los Angeles. I had started film school in Belgium but quickly realized that what they had to offer wasn’t what I was looking for.  As I said before, the first few years here weren’t easy. As an international student at UCLA, I wasn’t allowed to work or earn money. The other challenges were the endless visas that followed after I finished the Directing Program, the constant fear that those would run out, and that I would have to go back to Belgium. But all these things made me stronger, made me a better filmmaker. This resulted in my husband and I starting our production company, Two M Films, with which we produced a dozen award-winning short films, and which ended up getting me a green card, and eventually making me a US citizen. The films have been screened around the globe, including the film festival of film festivals: Cannes. Seeing one of your films on a screen at one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world is an incredible feeling. I live by the motto ‘Never ever give up’, and to always believe in your dreams. That might sound very cliché but I truly believe that if you keep believing in it and work hard towards it that goals and dreams do come true. Growing up in Belgium, people thought I was just a big daydreamer. Until I actually moved to Los Angeles and started film school. Then they suddenly realized I wasn’t just saying things, I was actually doing them! Through Two M Films, I’m currently working on a feature project. Although it is taking way longer than I wanted it to be, we are getting closer and closer to start shooting. Each dream I had I’ve always been able to make it a reality. Even if some things took longer than others.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a weekend-long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love Los Angeles, and love calling myself an Angelino. So, when friends and family come and visit me I’m always excited to show them my city. Of course, they always want to see and experience the classics: driving down Sunset Blvd, getting as close to the Hollywood Sign as possible, and walking all the way down the Santa Monica Pier, just to name a few. I have to admit, I still get a kick off some of those tourist spots, like the hand and footprints in front of the Chinese Theater. But of course, I always want to show them the hidden gems of the city. The places most tourists wouldn’t go to unless somebody local took them there. If visitors were in town for let say a weekend, and if things were back to normal, Saturday morning brunch would start at the top of the Wilshire Grand Center, the tallest building in California, where an amazing brunch buffet is served at Dekkandence, the restaurant on the 69th floor. Not only is the food amazing, but the views there are stunning. Note that the Wilshire Grand also has a lobby lounge on the 70th floor where visitors can enjoy the same views while having a drink. That place I would recommend for evening drinks when the city down below becomes one giant Christmas tree of lights. Brunch would be followed by exploring the hidden steps of Hollywood. These steps are all located off Beachwood Canyon, and are a great start to an incredible hike through the Hollywood Hills. Here, you’ll discover historical old-Hollywood homes, and admire beautiful views of downtown LA and Tinseltown itself. After the hike, I head down Los Feliz and have a milkshake at Fred 62, one of my favorite diners in town. By the way, they also have the most incredible Thai Cobb Salad there. To end that first day I would drive along Mullholland Drive. Again, incredible views, and numerous spots to make fantastic photos, especially when the sun sets. Sunday could start with breakfast/brunch on the beach in Santa Monica. Back on the Beach, near the Annenberg Community Beach House, is the perfect restaurant to enjoy great food and the beach itself. The Annenberg Community Beach House itself is a fascinating place, full of history. Hollywood legend Marion Davies had her huge beach mansion there, one that her lover, William Randolph Hearst, had built for her in the 1920s. The mansion became a hotel in the 1940s but was demolished in the 1950s. Some of the remaining buildings stayed empty for decades and were even used in the popular 90’s TV show ‘Beverly Hills 90210’, in which it became the Beverly Hills Beachclub. Today, the site still has one of the original guest-beach houses that came with the mansion, and which you can visit for free. The complex also features the original pool of the mansion, which is open to the public but dates are limited. A dip in that pool takes you back to the golden age of Hollywood, and you imagine yourself swimming along Charlie Chaplin. From there, head to Bay Cities on Lincoln, in Santa Monica. This Italian deli has the most amazing sandwiches and can be ordered online in advance to avoid the huge lines at the counter. Or go to Wurstküche in Venice, also on Lincoln, where you can order gourmet hot dogs and Belgian fries. I would end the weekend by seeing a movie at one of the many legendary movie theaters in the city. Maybe the Vista Theater in Silverlake, screens current movies in its 1928 Egyptian temple-inspired theater, making it the oldest one in town. Or maybe a special screening of the American Cinematheque at either the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood or the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Many of the American Cinematheque screenings are paired with Q&As with the filmmakers or the cast, which makes the experience even better. It couldn’t be more LA! Of course, as I said before, all these things can only be done when things go back to semi-normality!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This almost sounds like an Oscar speech! There are so many people in my life that are responsible for the filmmaker I became today. There are of course my parents, who, without them really realizing it, gave me a passion for movies, introducing me to the classics at a very early age. While a lot of my love for storytelling comes from my family as well, the one person that taught me the art of writing stage and screenplays was my second-grade teacher, Mr. Danny, who, when I was 8, had all the kids in his class collaborate and brainstorm on an idea for a school play. Every Tuesday afternoon would be spent developing a storyline, come up with characters, and write new scenes. By the end of the school year, a whole play had been written and was being performed in front of an audience. Now that I think about it, this not only taught me how to write plays but also that things we create almost never get made alone. Especially filmmaking is a collaborative process. The biggest collaboration has been with my husband Mark, who next to producing most of the short films we made through our company Two M Films, also designed some of the incredible costumes, as well as contributing to the scores with his singing talent and trumpet playing. And then there are all the actors and crew we have ever worked with and who we call our Two M Films family. Of course, books, movies, and art have also helped shape my visual style and the way I work. I feel that the visual style in my films reflects the Belgian in me.  Each one of my films always has some small Belgian detail or some kind of Belgian inside joke.  Especially the Belgian comics I grew up with, and which I still love, had a huge influence on my visual storytelling: Tintin, Natacha, the Smurfs. And my way of working is all about the visual. Alfred Hitchcock once said that you should be able to put a movie on mute, and still be able to understand what is going on on the screen just by the images. In other words, the film is a visual medium film is first and foremost a visual medium.

Website: www.twomfilms.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxmoneypenny/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mbrulein/

Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/twomfilms

Image Credits
Masha Tack.