We’re featuring 46 films this year and a personal look behind these productions is a good insight into some of the reasons why these heart-felt stories come into being.
The Sycamore Gap (2018) is set in 1841. It follows an intimate love affair between two women and in loving each other they cross race and class lines. The set pieces are dramatic and the short film makes good use of the location’s beautiful, if haunting, natural landscapes.
Lucy Rose Wilson-Green, who directs The Sycamore Gap, focuses her work around LGBT and women’s issues. We’re often used to narratives having closed-up endings, but not so of this period drama. Earlier Lucy said of her film, “It was a very intentional choice to have a black of catharsis in the ending. Real life doesn’t offer happy endings and neatly tied up loose ends. We wanted this story to have some sort of grounding in real life.”
Women Of The Lens got a little closer to Lucy and got talking about awards season and the upcoming 2019 Academy Awards. Who were Lucy’s favourites to bag an Oscar?
LRWG: ”Amandla Stenberg for Best Actress; this young woman has so much talent it’s unreal. I don’t even think she has fully reached her potential but can’t wait to see where she goes in the future and what roles she flourishes in.”
As part of the extension of the filmmaking process, productions add film festivals to marketing campaigns. Film festivals are a great platform to press-the-flesh with industry professionals and to meet other like-minded people who can often support your next project. Lucy told us about what she thought was the importance of film festivals in the filmmaking process.
LRWG: “Showcasing new and diverse work has never been more important. Festivals tend to be where the work isn’t as censored. People can make bold political statements and be brave in their filmmaking.”
It goes without saying that micro-budget films are ingenious when balancing what budgets they do have with creativity and bringing to screen believable stores. The Sycamore Gap was no less inventive with limited funding.
LRWG: “I’m a very low budget filmmaker so my biggest cost was for The Sycamore Gap. It was a self funded film and we made all the costumes, we went to a charity shop and spent quite a large sum on old curtains and fabrics to help construct the dresses.”
At Women Of The Lens we welcome all those who are consistently seeking to change the imbalances of race, gender and ability in the industry and we have men in our sights to enable change. Lucy informed us why she thought that it was essential that men were allies in a way that supports the development of diversity in front of and behind the lens.
“Absolutely, it has never been more important that we all work together and support each other. It’s time to focus on what brings us together and push ourselves further towards equality.”
Our Festival is unusually close to the festive holiday season and things can get hectic when juggling events so life hacks that save time, energy and maybe a little money are a must. Lucy told us…
LRWG: “Online shopping, one hundred per cent. Also handmade gifts. So last year I made homemade candles and soaps for all my loved ones and gave them pamper kits with their favourite scents. You can do it in bulk and it’s fairly cheap.”
The Sycamore Gap screens Saturday 15th December from 6.45pm as part of the Breaking Bonds Theme. The Close Up Film Centre is our venue.
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