David E. Teixeira, a filmmaker born in France and raised in Portugal, has made a significant impact in the horror genre with his unique storytelling and directorial style. From his inaugural short film “Girls Night” to his latest venture, the “Embrace Your Darkness” film festival, Teixeira’s journey is a testament to his passion and dedication to the craft. In this exclusive interview with Indie Shorts Mag, Teixeira shares his insights on his evolution as a filmmaker, his creative collaborations, and his upcoming projects.
Indie Shorts Mag: Your journey in horror filmmaking began with “Girls Night” in 2016, and you’ve recently come full circle with “Stream,” which connects to the original film. How has your approach to horror storytelling evolved over these years?
David E. Teixeira: Jumping into “Girls Night” was uncharted territory. It was a personal challenge that pushed me to explore filmmaking independently, allowing me to trust my instincts as a creative individual. This process was essential in discovering my true voice and style.
After completing the film, sharing it with an audience revealed that my characters had the potential for greater depth. Their relatable, natural qualities stood out, which is often challenging to find in slasher films, so I think that was the anchor for me. This realization inspired me to create a sequel, ultimately leading to “Stream”.
In “Stream” I wanted to bring the story full circle. I like incorporating meta elements, so I invited Marina to come back, who played the final girl in “Girls Night” and “Girls Night 2” to portray herself in a new chapter of her life, as a beauty influencer. She was excited, so we rehearsed a lot and did it.
This setting allowed me to explore how Bloody Mary (the antagonist) from her past films resurface to haunt her while she streams an Instagram live to her followers.
This evolution in storytelling reflects my vision of moving forward—bold and fresh takes on subgenres, even if I explore past themes and ideas. That’s the most important: exploring different ways of filming and creating diverse stories.
Indie Shorts Mag: You frequently collaborate with Lea N’Kaoua, particularly on projects like “Ouroboros” and “Mannequin.” How does this creative partnership enhance your storytelling process?
David E. Teixeira: For my work to thrive, it must be a two-way street between me and the people I work with on screen. There’s an energy that builds, a connection that sparks almost instantly. This trust doesn’t just exist on set—it starts in pre-production, where we lay the foundation.
Each actor I’ve worked with brings something unique to the role and to the process, and I learn a lot from them! Everyone has their own way of working, but for many, who aren’t necessarily trained actors, it’s about trusting my vision and allowing them the freedom to be natural on screen.
With Lea, the experience was a bit different and unique. As an artist with a long background in physical work, she has an innate understanding of movement and space, and feels incredibly free in her own body. The roles in “Ouroboros” and “Mannequin” were physically demanding, but she embraced them from day one.
When I share the story I want to tell with an actor and see that fire in their eyes, that’s when I know we’re on the same page. With Lea, that connection was almost instantaneous. After wrapping a project, we were laughing about the next one, eager to collaborate again. There were so many ideas and possibilities, and we were completely in sync every time. It was precious—a beautiful partnership. We both learned a lot from each other.
Indie Shorts Mag: Your recent success with “Drama Queen” at Short of the Month is noteworthy. How do platforms like Short of the Month contribute to the visibility and growth of independent filmmakers in today’s digital landscape?
David E. Teixeira: Thank you! I was truly happy to be a part of it, and being recognized as the Short of the Month for October was such a rewarding feeling!
Every door that opens to share our stories feels like a new opportunity… For me, visibility is everything. We make films for an audience, but finding that niche or figuring out how to promote our work is incredibly challenging—most of the time we have to pay to get any visibility. So when an opportunity like this comes along, it’s an easy decision to seize it.
“Short of the Month” is such a great platform for any filmmaker to gain recognition. It gives people a chance to vote for their favorite stories, and as filmmakers, we get to watch each other’s work, draw inspiration, and foster a sense of community and support. It’s like a family—we’re all in this together, and it’s such an amazing thing to be a part of!
Indie Shorts Mag: You’ve managed to shoot films like “Ouroboros” in just two days. What challenges and advantages come with working under such tight constraints, and how does it affect your creative decisions?
David E. Teixeira: Producing shorts with no budget, you quickly learn to have plan B and plan C in place—whether it’s dealing with unpredictable weather, difficult locations, or even something as simple as running out of fake blood! Hahaha.
“Ouroboros” was an intense filming process. We had selected the location, but when we arrived, it was nearly closed, and several of the exits I had planned to use for certain shots were blocked off. On top of that, there were visitors, and the noise made it difficult to work. It required us to be quick and efficient, even though the circumstances were less than ideal.
The core that kept it from feeling too overwhelming was Lea’s energy. Even when things got chaotic, she stayed calm because she had her own backup plans—sometimes different from mine.
As two quick thinkers, we were able to find solutions on the fly and make the best of the limited time we had. Despite all the challenges, nothing in the final cut of the film changed—it actually turned out even better than I had hoped.
We were both eager to dive in, free-styling as we went. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn’t. But this time, it worked and I think it even helped Lea’s performance. She was playing a young woman (spoiler alert) trapped in a castle, reliving the same situation over and over again, and the frustrations of the shoot mirrored her character’s experience. That feeling of being overwhelmed actually helped her get into the headspace of the character. It was a grueling experience, though… by the end, we were both completely drained, and Lea had a hard time shaking off the “demon” character she had embodied. We laughed about it and she was ready to scare the visitors. Haha
Indie Shorts Mag: Many of your works, particularly “Play. Pause. Kill.” and “Mannequin,” explore feminist themes through horror. What drives your interest in combining these elements, and what message do you hope to convey?
David E. Teixeira: That’s true. It’s something that I’m very fond of.
I think women should be more front and center in horror films, as men are. Being the main protagonists, the imperfect and complexed characters, or even antagonists, instead of the typical tropes where women feed the screen with bad decisions and they’re hoping to be saved by a man.
In “Play. Pause. Kill.”, we meet Julie as a creative person trying to find inspiration to keep writing a film, so she takes charge and invites Henry (who she was talking for a bit online) for a one night stand. Maybe sex could help her find the inspiration she needs? Either way, this time around we don’t have the man taking charge in anything. The only moment he takes charge, he does it poorly, provoking more than inspiration to come out of Julie.
In “Mannequin” we meet Barbara, a model/performer chilling at the hotel. She’s taking a bath, cleaning off her makeup, taking off her wig-shedding off all her worries and finally feeling free. Unfortunately, when society puts so much pressure on women on how they should look like or what they should wear and what men perceive women, Barbara’s worries come back to haunt her. This time, her makeup and her wig might not be able to take off as easy as before, the more pressure she feels, the more difficult is to put aside all these boxes she’s in…
I’m interested in this fusion… It may stem from the ability of horror to amplify emotional truths and critique social norms in a visceral way, intersecting gender with violence.
The message I’m trying to convey is simply to reflect and discuss. I think films that touch these different subjects might (hopefully) make viewers to reconsider their own perspectives on gender roles and encourage a dialogue about empowerment, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Indie Shorts Mag: our films are available on various platforms including Amazon Prime and Google Play. How has digital distribution evolved for independent filmmakers, and what advice would you give to others looking to distribute their work?
David E. Teixeira: It has been a journey! Unfortunately, short films aren’t as easy to distribute nowadays. I’m grateful that some of my work is online and streaming, but it isn’t lucrative, it’s mostly for visibility. Which for me, is the top priority.
Feature films are easier to distribute. Anthologies work very well too, specially since horror fans love to experience new and fresh stories, and it is a nice way to see various works from different directors in one feature.
I would suggest to find online any distribution company that is open to horror shorts, or as I did, combine different stories together and try it that way too. Some platforms help visibility, such as Short of the Month, FilmShortage and Short of the week. You do have to pay a fee sometimes, but it’s worth the risk. I’d say don’t give up and share your work with film review websites, send emails and try to promote your work with your friends and family by posting on social media. There are different ways to present your films and all of them could lead to something even bigger. Sometimes a producer might see your films on a film festival and contact you to be a part of an anthology! It’s a difficult process, but never giving up is key in these situations.
Indie Shorts Mag: With your latest venture, “Embrace Your Darkness” film festival, what gaps in the traditional festival circuit are you hoping to address for independent horror filmmakers?
David E. Teixeira: I’ve been struggling to find film festivals with minimum fees that are open to accept unique stories, instead of accepting films already shown in other film fests, just for their own visibility.
There aren’t a lot of film fests that believe in new voices, instead they leave behind fresh ideas and different directors from all backgrounds without even the possibility to have their work screened.
I created Embrace Your Darkness for this exact reason: to celebrate filmmakers who feel overlooked or underrepresented in the horror and film festival world—whether it’s because their films aren’t being showcased anywhere, or they don’t feel the support they need to keep creating.
As a gay filmmaker, I’m especially passionate about ensuring the queer community feels seen and heard. Films that explore queer themes, LGBTQIA+ identities, and queer horror are definitely encouraged. I wanted to create a safe space for everyone.
Indie Shorts Mag: Your upcoming feature film project focuses on mermaids. What inspired this departure from your previous works, and how do you plan to bring a fresh perspective to this mythological creature?
David E. Teixeira: I’ve always been a fan of mermaids, one of my favorite films growing up was “The Little Mermaid”. Yes, I enjoy horror and animation, ah! Polarizing worlds.
This screenplay is very different from what I’ve done before. It doesn’t have a title yet. It combines romance, comedy, sex, grief and horror. With mermaids. Mermaids that will hypnotize men for them to succumb to their needs… which can be erotic, gross and even beautiful at the same time. I can’t say much for now.
It’s an intense story and something I wanted to do for a long time. I’m not sure if I’ll be ever able to produce and direct it but at least I’ve written something and it’s 72 pages long. Not that much, but easy for me to feel excited about it.
Indie Shorts Mag: Having worked in both France and Portugal, how have these different cultural environments influenced your filmmaking style and storytelling approaches?
David E. Teixeira: Hmmm, not that much really. I’ve been focusing mostly on finding connections and actors that are willing to go the extra mile with my projects. This process is something I’ve been doing in both countries.
I can say that it’s easier in France because the culture and art are very present in the everyday life, so you can meet a lot of people from different backgrounds, willing to listen to your ideas.
There are less opportunities in Portugal, the art here is present but it’s a harsh way to find help and donations but since a lot of actors are available and looking for jobs or ways to improve themselves, it’s easier to have people invested in your independent work.
In France this is much more selective.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I can adapt well, so I’m quite comfortable in both places for now.
Indie Shorts Mag: Throughout your career, you’ve often revisited and expanded your previous works (like with the “Girls Night” anthology and “In Utero”). What drives your decision to return to and reimagine these stories?
David E. Teixeira: I need to create all the time. It’s important for my mental health and when I’m overwhelmed with my day job, I write or draw, and sometimes I like to revisit some earlier work and maybe change some little things, just for me and for fun.
What happened with “Girls Night” was mainly because the sequel was one year after the events of the first one, so I thought it was a good idea to mix the two. Plus, for “Girls Night 2” I did a promo presenting the lair of the antagonist and I loved it doing that, it was a shame not to be included.
For “In Utero”, I was very happy with the work I did with Lea that it felt right to integrate “Mater” and “Ouroboros” together. Both are from different eras, and the lore behind both films is about family generation so it just made sense. I wanted to rework the sound design and soundtrack too so I reached out to a singer and musician called Develmaker. We were in contact and he was interested in helping it, working on it full time and we collaborated together to create the perfect atmosphere that would be fluid for both shorts. It helped build and transform the editing process. That was special.
David E. Teixeira’s journey in horror filmmaking is a tale of passion, perseverance, and a deep commitment to storytelling. From his early days with “Girls Night” to his latest feature film project centered on mermaids, Teixeira continues to push the boundaries of the horror genre. His unique approach to blending feminist themes with horror, along with his innovative distribution strategies, makes him a filmmaker to watch. As he embarks on new ventures like the “Embrace Your Darkness” film festival, Teixeira’s work promises to inspire and empower independent filmmakers worldwide.
