he Book of European Short Pitch. - Nisi Masa

FREDERIC zEIMET
COwBOy
Tel: +352 691 736 703
E-mail: scriptdoctors@gmail.com
Intention
Cowboy is a very personal and intimate project. It is
the story of a young boy having trouble facing the cruelty
of life and trying to reconnect with his father.
It’s a drama but with some comic parts. I did not want
to tell a dark and sad story, I needed Cowboy to narrate
something tragic but with some lighter parts. This
is reflected in the relationship between Joachim and
Cowboy. Children have a way of coping and of looking
at things that we, as adults, have lost. We bury
ourselves in our grieving processes, forgetting what
surrounds us.
26
LUxEMBOURG
The original language of this project was French and
I intend to shoot it in French too. Without a doubt, a
story has to be universal, but every filmmaker writes to
touch the people who are closest to him and my family
is French-speaking.
My inspirations were Calvin and Hobbes and Where
the wild things are.
Synopsis
Eight-year-old Joachim has a peculiar friend, Cowboy,
who comes to his rescue after his mother suffers a terrible
car accident that leaves her comatose. Joachim
was also in the car but barely remembers the event.
Joachim meets his playmate in an imaginary world
that he creates to cope with the trauma. His buddy is
a clumsy, funny and plump cowboy in whom he finds
refuge.
Joachim’s father, Philippe, tries to shield his son from
seeing his mother who is in a vegetative state. However,
he is unable to communicate with him. Philippe
is torn between anger and pain, since his wife had the
accident just as she was leaving him for another man.
In an attempt to lessen his pain and to apprehend what
happened, Joachim asks many questions for which
there is no redeeming answer. Slowly, it becomes
clear that his friend Cowboy can no longer manage
to bring him all the comfort he needs… His imaginary
world and reality will collide, and this young boy will
have to face the truth.
PRODUCTION FACTS
Estimated Budget: 70.000 - 100.000 €
No producer definitely attached yet (one
Luxembourgish and one from France are
interested).
Locations: flexible (France, Luxembourg…).
“In a desert of solitude,
it’s always
great to be able to
count on your
imaginary cowboy.”
Director Biography
An eager storyteller, passionate about
movies, Frédéric Zeimet decided at the
age of 18 to learn the complex craft of
screenwriting. His first step was to study
History of Art at Brussels University for
5 years. His final dissertation was about
Wim Wenders. He then started a 2-year
course in Scriptwriting and Analysis at
the same University. He worked with Luc
Dardenne on his first script (selected at
the International Screenwriters’ Festival in
Bourges, France).
Frédéric has co-written a feature-length
script and collaborated on the development
of three more. He participated in
several screenwriting competitions, winning
in 2010 the Best Junior Screenwriters’
Prize in France.