This is a narrative short film that I wrote, produced and directed. It is a surreal horror fantasy set in a parallel and frightening world.
Completed in 2018 it was shown in December at The Horse Hospital as part of Exploding Cinema.
Now more than ever, filmmakers are fighting to give a voice to the disaffected, the poor and the oppressed.
Remember the furore around Blackfish? The gut-churning horror of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s 2013 documentary about the controversial practices of catching and keeping whales in captivity led to mass protests and petitions against SeaWorld and other aquariums. Real change was brought about directly because of this film and people exercising their democratic rights in response to it. Engendering activism is one of the strengths that documentary has over narrative film; we see real people and real situations, secrets are exposed and unpleasant truths are brought into the light so that we can no longer ignore them.
Director Susanna Edwards captures the emotional complexity of a brutal sport in this intimate portrait of ‘the female Rocky’.
Golden Girl, Susanna Edwards’ film about Sweden’s first WBC world title holder in women’s boxing, Frida Wallberg, opens with a quote from legendary boxer Rocky Graziano: “The fight for survival is the fight.” It shows us just that. Starting in 2010, not long after Wallberg won her first title, the film follows her training and working towards more fights; trying to retain her status as the world number one and keep the belt in Sweden. Not only a champion in what is still seen as a man’s world, she is also a single mother trying to provide for her young daughter. Needless to say, Wallberg is extremely tough. We see her training to the point of tears, the agony written across her face. But she refuses to give up.
With her first feature, They Are All Dead, Beatriz Sanchis filmed in her home town of Madrid. She talks about her love of film and the lessons she learned on set. Continue reading
Dave (Frederick Schmidt) is a small time criminal living in London who is trying to move up in the family business. A job he does for his psychopathic uncle Jimmy (Martin Askew) goes horribly wrong due to Dave’s ambitions outweighing his intellect and understanding of the rules of the underworld game. Continue reading
Andrew Hulme director of Snow in Paradise, his debut feature, took some time out from work in LA to answer some of my questions. Continue reading
Stephanie Joalland, originally from France, has made her debut feature here in the UK, The Quiet Hour is an intimate take on the alien invasion genre and was one of the gala films at Raindance 2014. She talks to us about her working life. Continue reading
Documentary filmmaker Maureen Judge hails from Canada and has an industry CV that spans over 20 years. Working in TV and film she here shares her expertise and talks of the new challenges she faced with her latest project Living Dolls. Continue reading
Debs Paterson fairly burst onto the film scene in 2010 with her acclaimed feature debut Africa United. Since then she has been beavering away writing and developing multiple projects for TV and film. She took some time out of her hectic schedule to impart some words of wisdom. Continue reading
Anna Kazejak’s 3rd feature The Word had its UK premier at Raindance 2014; here the Polish filmmaker shares her experiences of working at home and in Denmark. Continue reading
siren lane 