Several weeks ago, I met with Canadian independent filmmaker BÉLA PFUNDT who enquired about promoting his comic book-style feature film “Driving Me Nuts!, a look at the life of a veteran driving instructor whose adult driving students are a deranged bunch of weirdos that would make even Fellini shudder! With an extensive career background in television production, art direction & design, Béla has forged his “second act” with writing, directing & producing live action/animation projects in which he lets his imagination run free. I asked him to share his thoughts and inspirations for working in such a crowded creative arena and how he aspires to rise above the clutter to bring laughter and, in many cases, recognition factors into his films.
Did you always want to be a story-teller and creator or did you study for a more traditional career? Yes, absolutely. Since high school, storytelling has felt like an added appendage—something that’s always been a part of me. Over time, it naturally evolved and found expression in whatever creative medium I gravitated toward. Looking back at the diverse studies I pursued in Art College, I’ve come to appreciate that being an artist—especially a multimedia artist—comes with a unique sensitivity to storytelling. I’ve always enjoyed diving into any medium that sparked my curiosity: inventing board games, producing experimental films, composing music, developing characters through acting, designing TV show openings, package design—whatever intrigued me at the time. I genuinely believe that my four years in Art College were simply the beginning, the equivalent of an infant learning to crawl before taking their first steps. It’s in the years that follow when your interests begin to solidify. That’s when tenacity and inspiration step in and push you to keep studying, expanding your horizons in all areas of creativity. That’s when real growth happens. Even now, at 72, I’m still learning every single day.
After working in television as a graphic designer & animator, what propelled you in the direction of filmmaking and writing? In retrospect, film animation in college was my earliest spark. Animation is, at its core, a form of acting—it’s all about timing, rhythm, and expression. During my 25+ years at CBC, every production that I worked on inspired me to explore every aspect of production. For example, when I began working as an extra in a few CBC drama productions, it pushed my interests further into filmmaking, acting, character development, voice work, or television production, per se. Boredom grew rapidly during my last 10-15 years at CBC, so to keep my sanity afloat, I immersed myself in comedy improv classes which transitioned into comedy script writing. From there, developing and pitching a radio comedy show as well as in television. All of these stages became part and parcel of my evolution into filmmaking.
Your first production was a mockumentary called Visitors ….what inspired that and how many different hats did you wear when producing the film? It was sold to CityTV-Space Channel. Although the film was a first in parodying the UFO-Alien genre, unfortunately, I regret not marketing the film properly. It all started when a friend of mine decided to shoot all of my characters, in costume. That’s when I decided to write the mockumentary for Visitors, as well as all of the other essentials in production. Like all of my films to this day, my early work was very much a one-man-show production. Animation and those early Super 8 experimental films became the driving force that pushed me deeper into storytelling and the craft of filmmaking.
It’s become an innate part of me or natural protocol for me to wear all of the hats associated with production—writing, characters, improv, voice narrations, graphics, music, directing, designing promotional and merchandise of the film, etc. ‘Clem Junebug–Ghost Detective’, my second feature, garnered a number of comedy awards in Canada and the U.S. in indie comedy festivals. Thereafter, the drive to create grew.
As you developed your own film production company, did you also hold down a fulltime job or had you already “retired” from the 9-5 life? I began Visitors in the late ’90s I was still working at CBC. It was very much a “burning the candle at both ends” experience. At the time, I was also working as a cartoon illustrator, so juggling freelance work alongside my CBC duties felt natural—and that ability to multitask made the production possible. But most importantly, when you hear your passion calling from within—you answer it. I believe that when you intuitively discover a passion that feels undeniably like a part of you, you simply can’t stop. It becomes a natural creative force speaking through you—a direct link to your inner soul. I often refer to this process as ‘itchy brains’
Driving Me Nuts! is your debut feature length animation/live action film. Did you have a theatrical release or did you put it straight up on streaming platforms to reach a worldwide audience? I’m afraid there was no theatrical release. One needs a distributor for to secure that and sadly I could not find a distributor. The only theatre where my film was shown was the film’s premiere at a small town cinema. I’m still a small guy in the indie film festival league. I’m not playing in the ‘Pro League’…yet. I’m the guy who stands on a corner, playing a variety of musical instruments strapped to my body LOL. So without any hesitation, and like many filmmakers today, I aimed for streaming. I think it’s a wise choice and one can get the word out to the masses quicker by a variety of methods, it’s easier and it’s a different process. Late last year, I was fortunate to get my film on four platforms (Apple, Prime, YouTube and Google). Thereafter, marketing is also another challenging stage.
Driving Me Nuts! is a unique take on the stressful life of a driving instructor and the many bizarre and somewhat deranged adult student drivers – what inspired this story? The more I think about it, the more I realize how many influences came together to inspire the premise of this wacky, offbeat comedy. It really began on the road—I lost count of the number of terrible drivers I encountered, and how many close calls I somehow avoided. That’s when I started keeping my iPhone ready at all times to record any idea the moment it surfaced. My imagination began to snowball, nonstop. It was like an Oppenheimer comedy bomb going off in my head. With all these meandering ideas swirling around, everything eventually anchored itself to one central concept: the driving instructor and the student drivers. But then I thought… what if the students were adults and completely off the wall? That’s when I let my brain off the leash and allowed it to run wild. Most of the characters in the film are based on real people. For example, the superstitious cleaning lady (played by me), who performs rituals with her BBQ chicken before each driving lesson – she was inspired by my mother as well as a Portuguese cleaning lady I once employed. Some of her quirky narratives actually came straight from her own supernatural experiences. 
You’re currently promoting streaming access for Driving Me Nuts! so do you have a new feature film percolating in your mind? Any hints as to what it might be about? Yes, I have a virtual crowded stove top with too many pots boiling away. As always, my brain is running loose and it never comes back when I call it. I’ve just finished writing a mockumentary film. The working title is Africa’s Forgotten Hunter. Without giving too much away, it follows an unknown, wealthy British Colonial hunter in Africa in the last mid-century who, by sheer luck, discovers a hidden valley in Africa containing unknown, never-before-seen creatures – an area depicted on ancient cave walls, one that no native dares to enter. The film will be crafted in the style of a ’50s documentary, blended with dramatizations and Pathé-style newsreels. I’ll be producing most of the graphics, animations and effects myself, and AI will help create additional footage as well as assist in developing characters to match my various voice performances. I’m also juggling several other projects: pitching a celebrity sports game show, developing my mockumentary Visitors into a mini-mockumentary TV series, developing another mini-mockumentary series based on my book Untold Mysteries From the Vaults; and long percolating project, something that’s completely new for me to attempt….writing a stage musical.
Thanks, Béla. Driving Me Nuts! is available now on AppleTV, Prime, YouTube and GoogleTV and is 2hrs & 7 mins of crazy wacky hilarity that will make you think twice about driving behind learner drivers in the future. Follow along via social media (Fcbk & IG) and watch Fordham PR’s socials, too, for news and updates on the film and the filmmaker.
More info and links on Béla’s website: https://www.innerlightconcepts.com/drivingmenuts
