Sebastian Sommer talks about his feature film ‘Dragon’

Filmmaker Sebastian Sommer talks about his feature film ‘Dragon’ in our exclusive interview:

What was the starting point for your debut feature?

It really started with the idea of doing something outside of the typical indie film. I didn’t want a clear three-act structure, and I didn’t want characters in the traditional sense. I was more interested in the feeling of storytelling. The cadence of someone narrating a tale around a fire.

The film is structured in vignettes — different knights, different locations, almost like chapters in a storybook. Was that planned early on?

The vignettes became the format naturally. Like folktales strung together with a common thread.

Why the fantasy genre? Was it always something you were drawn to?

Definitely. I’ve always loved fantasy. I grew up playing games like Skyrim and The Witcher 3. My film Dragon is the memory of fantasy. It’s the emotional residue of a tale you think you once heard. It’s like if you played Skyrim and then went to sleep and had a dream about that world and then you woke up and fragments of your dream were still lingering in your mind.

You narrate the entire film. What led to that decision?

It just made sense. The tone I wanted was specific. It felt more personal that way.

Visually this film looks unlike anything else. It was AI generated right?

Yeah I was interested in the idea of using AI not just as a tool, but as a kind of visual hallucination. It’s imperfect, which I liked. It gives the world this strange texture, like it’s unstable or fleeting. The characters aren’t fully human, the locations don’t always obey physics, but that’s what made it feel mythic. These aren’t places that exist.

Was there a central theme or idea that held it all together for you?

Yeah, something about longing. The idea of searching for something you can’t quite name. These knights in the film aren’t always heroic. They’re wandering. They’re often lost. The whole thing is like a eulogy for some ancient purpose that’s been forgotten. And I think there’s something beautiful in that, people still walking forward, even when the destination’s unclear.

What are you working on next?

I have loved movies since I was a kid. I grew up on filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Michael Mann. I am taking a break for a while but I am planning on making another feature.