Q&A with THE SILENCING Director Robin Pront

The hunter (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) becomes the hunted when a crafty killer brings haunted memories—and new possibilities in an old kidnapping case—to the surface in The Silencing. With the thriller out now theatrically and on VOD and Digital via Saban Films, we caught up with director Robin Pront in our latest Q&A feature to discuss his movie's character-centric story, working with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the pivotal fight scene, and making the killer's ghillie suit as scary as possible through filmmaking techniques.

Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us, Robin, and congratulations on The Silencing! When did you first read Micah Ranum’s screenplay for this film, and what made you want to bring it to life on screen?

Robin Pront: Must've been somewhere in the fall of 2018, I immediately felt a deep connection to the story itself, but more importantly the journey of the protagonist spoke to me. In the end it's always about the characters and the burning need you feel inside of yourself to bring their story to life.

Where did filming take place, and how many days did you have in your shooting schedule?

Robin Pront: Filming took place in a town called Sudbury up in Ontario, Canada. About 26 days of shooting.

The woods can be a scary place on its own, but add a camouflaged killer and it can really become frightening. How did you approach filming scenes in the woods to really immerse viewers in its eerie atmosphere?

Robin Pront: One of the biggest challenges was to bring the ghillie suit to life in a way that it became scary because it wasn't just a given of putting the man in a suit somewhere and just pointing a camera at it. It was all about finding the right angles, position of our actor, and the right trees. The wonderful music and sound design helps us a lot as well.

You got to work with a great cast on this film, including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Annabelle Wallis, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. What was it like to work with such a talented group of actors to tell this story?

Robin Pront: Great, all different people with a different approach to their profession. I think they all did a wonderful job and I just tried to help as much as I could.

This film revolves around the sport of hunting and the police’s investigation into a gruesome murder. How important was it for you to realistically portray these aspects of life on screen?

Robin Pront: I did some research on the ancient way of hunting with an atlatl (the weapon you see used in the film), but I was fortunate enough to have a writer who did most of the work for me of course.

Looking back at your time on set, is there a favorite or memorable moment that stands out?

Robin Pront: I have fond memories of shooting the scenes in the cabin, particularly the big fight, because we had enough time to really flesh it out, and to work with Nikolaj, who is so experienced, was great fun.

Were you influenced or inspired by any other movies while making The Silencing?

Robin Pront: There isn't one movie that really stands out, but I did want to bring some realistic elements to the film, because I did not want it to be too slick. Winter's Bone I rewatched. Directors of my generation that I'm keen of are the Safdie Brothers and Jeremy Saulnier

Ultimately, what do you hope viewers take away from The Silencing?

Robin Pront: My ambition is always that I keep the audience entertained and intrigued for the duration of the film.

What has it been like to partner with Saban Films to bring The Silencing to the masses?

Robin Pront: Great, they have been really supportive.

With The Silencing out now from Saban Films, what other projects do you have coming up that you’re excited about?

Robin Pront: Was about to shoot a new Belgian film in the summer, but on the first day of shooting everything got cancelled, so just waiting to start again. Probably next summer, though...