HollyShorts / Portland Film Festival - Grace
A mother captures all of her wishes for her daughter in a single letter.
Interview with Director/Producer/Writer Kristin Fairweather
Watch Grace here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I am an avid lover of coming-of-age films. I have always been drawn to stories with a central character who seeks transformation. The first three features I produced have each either centered around an adolescent, or a deeply flawed character in search of meaning. Perhaps this is because I’ve always searched for meaning in my own life through art and storytelling.
When I set out to make “Grace” I was going through an incredibly existential time in my life. I had just turned 40, my small children were no longer babies, and I had recently lost one of my dearest friends to cancer. Thus the considerable questions of what the big, broad, beautiful (or not) meaning of life was loomed large over my daily thoughts. So I reached for my lifeline, story. “Grace” was born out of a desire to merge my feeling of being lost at sea to a desire to return to shore, with the hope that I would feel tethered to purpose, to spirit.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
As our personal lens shifts from child to teenager to adult, the minor and momentous moments of life change texture. I love films that illustrate how days can span long and palatially in youth but then will burst past you in a blink as you grow. Those are the emotions I want to capture through this story.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Through combining stirring visuals, words and music, my hope is that my work will address the changing prism through which we see our life-defining moments as we grow.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The short came together very quickly as a work sample for a program I was applying to. It quickly took on a life of its own which I am thrilled about!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been very positive!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I think the people this film has touched most are those I was trying to reach- people assessing life, parenthood and loss.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’m hoping to continue getting my work out to a larger audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Journalists & more festivals would be great.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’d love it to touch people and serve as a foundation for future work.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What would you do if faced with the unimaginable?
Would you like to add anything else?
I hope audiences will seek it out!
Interview: August 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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Grace
A mother captures all of her wishes for her daughter in a single letter.
Length: 5:12
Director/Producer/Writer: Kristin Fairweather
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer/Director/Producer Kristin Fairweather, a lifelong cinephile, left a successful career in politics to pursue her dream of making films. She now runs Fair Weather Pictures; a company focusing on creating socially relevant, artistically vibrant films that push against the stereotypes typically featured in Hollywood fare.
Kristin’s first short film, “Grace”, premiered at the 2016 Love International Film Festival, where lead actress Oren Podell received a nomination for Best Youth Actress. The film will be featured at the upcoming Holly Shorts Film Festival and Portland Film Festival, among others.
Kristin has produced Future Weather (2012), (Tribeca Film Festival, Hamptons Film Festival’s Sloan Feature Film Award and Napa Valley Film Festival’s Jury Prize for Best Feature), A Rising Tide (2015), which premiered at Seattle. Most recently, she was the Executive Producer for Namour, (winner of the LA Muse Award at this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival). Kristin has also produced several commercials and short pieces for Film Independent and the Sloan Foundation. In the spring of 2016 she produced 4 short films for Film Independent and the U.S State Department as part of the Global Media Makers program.
Kristin has been a fellow with Film Independent Producers Lab (2009), Fast Track financing market (2010), IFP Rough Cut Lab (2012) and the Trans Atlantic Partners Producing Fellowship (2014).
Key cast: Oren Podell, Bethany Joy Lenz (Voice Over)
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Made in association with: Fair Weather Pictures
Where can I watch it in the next month? The Holly Shorts Film Festival