-What has been the greatest difficulty you faced in producing your project?
“The Girl Who Faded Away” took more than a decade to fund and produce, but has proven to be worth the wait. It is a continuation of my collaboration with songwriter and guitarist Tom Guernsey, who left this world before his time from ALS. After we completed the video for Tom’s “On the Road (At 17),” Tom told me that I would have “carte blanche” on the next one. Adrienne, Tom’s widow, was very supportive and introduced me to Tom’s former bandmate George Daly, today an iconic music executive/artist who joined me as Executive Producer and Co-Writer. The coupling of Tom’s past with the very experienced George Daly was almost a miraculous bit of inspiration. So thanks Tom. The Girl Who Faded Away will now never fade away.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political correctness?
Political correctness is not inclusive enough to be truly effective. “Do to others as you would have them do to you” are better words to live by.
-What was the greatest source of inspiration for creating your project?
My inspiration arose from the lyrics of this melodious song. Since the heroine, the ethereal girl “faded away” when the “night is day”, I envisioned her as an apparition, and one representing a lost love. Because the recording of the song has scratches and pops, I decided to have the protagonist listen to a vinyl record on a phonograph. Having met the male lead Eric Schopmeyer in his persona of DJ powerless at a party, I made Eric the first hire and primary counter basis for everything that follows, with the “Girl” and him.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
I would ask Jean-Jacques Beineix for an apprenticeship.
-What do you think of the Wild Filmmaker platform?
George Daly and I are honored to be included in this class act among so many talented artists.
-What has been the greatest difficulty you faced in producing your project?
For me, it is always a great effort to start the work and then to finish the project. It feels like a ollercoaster, with huge self doubts at the lowest points and a euphoric feeling at the top points. Getting through the rollercoaster, adjusting my ideas so that they become realistic is a big struggle.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political correctness?
I don’t think so. On the opposite I think political correctness was much needed. I’m happy that there are more female directors and more diverse movie subjects now thanks to political correctness – I.e. films about feminism, lgbtq+, people with handicaps, but also films about grief.
-What was the greatest source of inspiration for creating your project?
My own grief for my husband. He died when I was 38, and through my grief for him I learned to appreciate life a lot more. Today I’m very aware that life can end on any day, so that it feels very precious. That makes me live a lot more conscious and grateful.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
I’d like to talk to Alfred Hitchcock and ask him whether he had self doubts as well. And if he had a trick to get through them.
-What do you think of the Wild Filmmaker platform?
I think this platform stands out and I’m proud to be one of your winners.
It was born from the need to plumb the depths of my profound human nature in a period in which I had decided to bring out into the open all the rot I felt I had inside. A sort of self-therapy in images, texts and sounds.
-Who are your influences?
Many and of various nature. Not just films or directors but also music, painting and art in general. If I really had to choose a director I would say Tarkovsklj for his ability to expand the human soul to the point of touching the divine and his ability to make you feel part of everything.
-What fascinates you about WILD FILMMAKER?
The possibility it gives directors to be welcomed, listened to and not judged a priori for their proposals and the message they try to convey. Which is very rare these days.
-What is the mission of your art?
Try to bring out some aspects of people’s inner lives while watching my films, giving them the opportunity to ask themselves questions and possible answers which should always be individual and never definitive. A very pretentious goal, but I think it is the main purpose of art.
-What has been the greatest difficulty you faced in producing your project?
For many years Giuseppe Vincenzo Sciarra and I had been thinking about this “Canovaccio” project and in 2023 we finally managed to produce it; post-production was completed this year. We had little time to make the short film, the constantly changing weather conditions forced us to make some changes in the shooting, but in the end the strong feeling between the three lead actors Gino Curcione, Brando Improta and Giovanna Asia Savino, allowed us to achieve the magic we were looking for. Moreover, the original music composed by Gianluca Erriu is an added value for the film.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political correctness?
Today, many projects are held back by this ‘political correctness’, what is ostensibly done to promote inclusion often has the opposite effect. I have always dealt with social issues and diversity is a wealth that must be valued and included in more realistic and lighter stories… Cinema must be courageous to convey a feeling, a sincere emotion.
-What was the greatest source of inspiration for creating your project?
The setting, Naples, from a particular point of view, i.e. a terrace of a house in the Posilippo district, was strongly desired by us and important to create a certain type of atmosphere. My colleague Giuseppe Vincenzo Sciarra and I initially tried to recreate a project close to French cinema and Italian genre comedy. But I think we made a very different film. This question should probably be put to the audience.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
I have always had a passion for Fellini’s Cinema and there are many questions I would ask the author. His work is still topical today, and above all his approach to the genre of the “fake documentary”, an aspect that is perhaps a little less well known, is also interesting. If I had to choose just one, in particular I would ask him if I could attend the shooting of one of his films.
-What do you think of the Wild Filmmaker platform?
I think that this platform is one-of-a-kind, and it’s good medium for artists to make themselves known. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers who selecting my project for the Special Event at 81st Venice International Film Festival exclusively on Wild Filmmaker.
What has been the greatest difficulty you faced in producing your project?
It’s been a gradual step-by-step process. It is a short film and I have experienced no real difficulty. So far, it has been a joy.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political correctness?
I don’t think anything can damage the core of the film industry, it’s a force of nature. It may have ups and downs, but like the Sun, it will rise in the morning.
-What was the greatest source of inspiration for creating your project?
Apprentice, like Mickey Mouse in Fantasia. I have studied the I Ching, Tarot, Mystery School, Mythology, the Secrets of the Shamans, Folklore, Archetypal Fairy Tales, and Sacred Geometry, all of which have led me to the Genre of the Fairy Tale. My stories have always possessed a mystical undertone but The Girl Made of Earth and Water is my first true Fairy Tale. Using the tools of fantastical enchantment and the language of metaphors, the viewer (child or adult) is introduced to contemplating their thoughts, which aids in finding meaning in their lives, a greater sense of self, and how they fit into the world. It extracts the mind from the mob mind.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
At this moment, although I would love to speak with Frederico Feliini or Ingmar Bergman, I have to go with a man still walking among us – Alejandro Jodorowsky. Watching the opening scene of El Topo, with Jodorowsky, dressed in black leather on a white horse, walking across the desert, to in your face, full screen, his ten-year-old naked son burying the portrait of his mother in the sand – I was knocked out! But, I have always been especially inspired by his Graphic Novel illustrated by Artist Mobius, The Incal. The great Taiki Waititi is currently adapting The Incal and will direct it for the big screen. I can’t wait to see it!
-What do you think of the Wild Filmmaker platform?
The Wild Filmmaker is a gift to the Indie Film Industry. Indie films are essential for creatives to explore, innovate, and take risks. Wild Filmmaker champions those efforts that benefit the mainstream Industry in the process
-What has been the greatest difficulty you faced in producing your project?
Producing a film involves orchestrating a complex symphony of details whilst holding onto the vision. From coordinating things like food and transportation between locations, and checking in with the team during intense scenes, felt like I was both a conductor and caretaker. I was constantly thinking of the people above everything else on set to ensure a safe passage for all, and at the same time I was checking in on scenes as it was my story being filmed and holding the authenticity was important to me. In post-production, the editing process demanded meticulous attention to detail, stitching together scenes, refining pacing, and maintaining my overall vision was exhilarating and exhausting. My festival strategy evolved as I had to be adaptable in my approach to film festivals after a number of knock backs. Then as the awards started flowing in, it became an addiction in many ways and then it was hard to know when to stop. Filmmaking, for me, is an artistry of balancing so many things all at once in the air, and not letting one ball drop.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political correctness?
The film industry, like any cultural sphere, grapples with the impact of political correctness. While sensitivity and inclusivity are essential, there’s a find balance to strike. The only thing I had to grapple with was “trigger warnings”. As someone with lived trauma experience and work in the area of mental health, I’ve encountered this firsthand. ‘Say My Name’ delves into addiction, abuse, violence and suicide, each carries immense emotional weight. Providing trigger warnings can be well-intentioned, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Trigger warnings suggests that we might exacerbate mental health struggles, but the latest research and I would agree, by desensitising viewers, we risk hindering healing. As filmmakers, we must approach this with empathy. Balancing artistic expression with audience wellbeing is crucial. Perhaps, rather than warnings, fostering post-viewing discussions or providing resources could be more effective. Healing lies in acknowledging pain while allowing space for growth.
-What was the greatest source of inspiration for creating your project?
This short film is based on my younger life story and book ‘Sleeping Under the Bridge’. This is the first book in a trilogy series that I want to be turned into feature films. The short film was to enable the start of this long-term vision. I always had the dream to have a film depicting the trauma I lived through as a child to shine as a beacon of hope that anyone can overcome any battle in life. My inspiration is if my life can give courage and change to other people’s stories, then it is worth sharing. It is why I have dedicated this short film and my books to all those who have walked in these shoes. As a survivor of horrendous trauma, I’ve transformed pain into purpose. Sharing this narrative is not just a story or a concept, it is a lived reality. The feature films will expand on this impact, as there is far more to tell of my story, more healing to offer the world.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
Given my background, I didn’t get to see much films as a teenager, but one of my early graphic design jobs was creating movie posters and VCR covers that drew me into film. I soon learned that I loved films that make you think, that doesn’t give away every detail but allows you as the viewer to walk through discovering what you need about the characters and yourself. I wanted my short film to do precisely that, and to not have much dialogue but to drive the message through visual and sound. As a team, I think we did this extraordinary well. There was one particular movie that was a cinematic innovation that struck me in my late teens that I watched many times over my lifetime, ‘Metropolis’, the 1927 German expressionist science-fiction silent film. Directed by Fritz Lang and based on Thea von Harbou’s 1925 novel, ‘Metropolis’ immerses viewers in a futuristic urban dystopia. If I could converse with Fritz Lang, I would ask him about the delicate balance between revealing and withholding details. How did he craft a film that invites introspection without spoon-feeding the audience? How did he hold the silence, and yet add depth? The film’s art direction that was inspired by opera, Cubism and Futurism, melds seamlessly with its Gothic undertones. Perhaps Lang would share how he wove these influences into a tapestry of human struggle and hope.
-What do you think of the Wild Filmmaker platform?
Being recognised as an award-winning film first by 8 and a Halfilm Awards opened doors to the Wild Filmmaker platform. It allowed me then to expand our network and awards portfolio. Recognition is both validation and motivation for indie producers. The platform’s evolution from awards to events is a positive shift providing networking opportunities and exposure for indie creators. Thank you for making the platform affordable for indie creators and your vision in providing prestigious names that reflect the entire film industry is enlightening. Balancing opportunities while maintaining focus is an art, especially when receiving frequent selection invites. Supporting indie filmmakers is vital, and platforms like Wild Filmmaker play a crucial role. Thank you for championing our work, and my vision to captivate hearts.
