HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series - Heavy Feathers
After finding a letter from her deceased father, Myna starts looking for her past in a household where her mother and sister only want to look forward.
Interview with Writer/Director Joosje Duk
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
As an actress, I wanted to experience filmmaking from the point of view of a writer/director. I also felt a need to write three-dimensional roles for women and I was interested in exploring family connections, especially families lacking a male presence.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film because it’s colorful and light, yet at the same time it deals with darker themes, which I believe is a nice balance. I was inspired by pop art when developing the visual style of the film, which gives it a bubbly feel, but the topics the film deals with are more serious and intense. The film explores the interaction between comedy and drama both visually as well as in terms of content. I’m most interested in finding moments in film where comedy and drama meet, because I believe that’s where the most truthful moments in life come from.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film asks the audience whether it’s always better to know the full truth about your family, or if it can be easier if certain things remain unsaid. I believe this is a question people ask themselves in real life as well. Every family has secrets, and many people don’t know whether they should be fully open, or if they should protect themselves by remaining silent in certain situations. I’m always curious to know in why we decide to keep information from our loved ones, because although it seems easier at first, it often makes life more complicated in the end.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
It took a while to find the heart of the story. Our final big scene (the only scene that takes place at night), which is most people’s favorite scene, was somewhere in the middle of the story at first. It had the same setting as it does now, but a much different conversation at the center of it. After going through the script with many of my peers, I found out that the scene had a lot of potential that I hadn’t taken advantage of in earlier drafts, so moving it further down the story helped in creating a much more exciting ending.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People have been very positive about the pop art style and the colorful look of the film, which they thought was unique and refreshing. They like the intimate feel the film has and enjoyed the final scene a lot. A great piece of constructive criticism I received was that the story could have been even smaller; while writing I constantly worried that there wasn’t enough drama, but it turned out the opposite was true.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was very happy with the feedback I got, because it helped me realize that with short films, the smaller the story is, the better it can be. As long as it is detailed enough and includes one big element of surprise, there doesn’t need to be a whole lot of exposition or many layers to it. A short film is about the journey as much as it is about surprise. I was also excited to find out how many people noticed the visual references (the art works that inspired me most were Roy Lichtenstein’s Girl with Ball and Tom Wesselmann’s Still Life #30).
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would love to be able to play Heavy Feathers at a few more festivals before releasing it online, so it would be wonderful to spread the word through this website. I’m also interested in finding distribution for the film.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Anyone who feels connected to the message the film is trying to spread is of course more than welcome to come on board. We are definitely interested in showcasing the film all over the world, as well as eventually releasing the film online so we can reach a wider audience.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love to open up a conversation about women in film. As a young female filmmaker, it would be incredible to see more stories in theatres and on television that include women in front of as well as behind the camera, and I’d be honored if Heavy Feathers helps in achieving that goal.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The most important question the film asks is: What do we need to know about ourselves to be happy? The film shows Myna’s extraordinary inner world within her ordinary life, asking the audience if it’s better to always know the full truth, or if life might be easier when you’re not too curious about the things you’re not supposed to discover. Myna is eager to find out the truth about her past, but the truth is not easy to come by with a sister who prefers a life in the dark, and a mother whose truth is a fairy tale she doesn't even believe in herself.
Would you like to add anything else?
If you want to stay updated on everything surrounding Heavy Feathers, you can visit our website: www.heavyfeathersfilm.com. More about my other work can be seen on www.joosjeduk.com.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
After writing and directing Heavy Feathers, I went on to create my short film NIGHT, which I recently completed. The film is currently being submitted to festivals. I’m also developing a feature film as well as a television series, so my dream is to get those projects realized as well.
Interview: December 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Heavy Feathers
After finding a letter from her deceased father, Myna starts looking for her past in a household where her mother and sister only want to look forward.
Length: 15 minutes
Director: Joosje Duk
Producer: Nicole Quintero Ochoa
Writer: Joosje Duk
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer/Director: Joosje Duk
Joosje Duk graduated from NYU in 2016. She acted in NETFLIX feature film A Noble Intention and created short films Heavy Feathers and NIGHT. Website: www.joosjeduk.com
Producer: Nicole Quintero Ochoa
Nicole Quintero Ochoa studied Film & TV at NYU’s Tisch. She co-directed the Fusion Film Festival celebrating women in film. She currently works for Radical Media.
Key cast:
Joosje Duk (Myna), Katherine Romans (Elsie), Laura Lockwood (Scarlett)
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Funders:
The film was funded through an Indiegogo campaign. Website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/heavy-feathers#/
Made in association with:
New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study
Where can I see it in the next month?
The film will be screened as part of the HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series. The exact date is TBD.