LA ShortsFest - Grief
Psychological thriller about a young woman Audrey, who tries to find out whether or not her mentally ill sister really committed suicide.
Interview with Writer/Director Joanna Krawczyk
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Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I have made the film as part of the program at the New York Film Academy, which I am attending. I have also always been intrigued by what is happening in one’s mind - the discovery of the darker, deeper feelings and thoughts that occur whether we are mentally ill or not. Everyone has a time in their life, when they are trying to find themselves, their identity and answer the question of who they are.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s a short, psychological thriller that takes you on the journey through the labyrinth of Audrey’s mind. Even though it’s a surreal, stylized piece, you can relate to Audrey’s struggle and want to find out what happened to her dead sister and anyone gets scared of their own minds sometimes.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I’ve always been fascinated by one’s struggle with his/her own mind. The internal conflict is often my cue in creating characters. I am also interested in death - fragmentary or complete, mental or physical, as a part of life.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
It took us a year since I started writing the script until we finished post-production. It was a challenging and exciting time working on “Grief.” I pay a lot of attention to pre-production and preparation before I go on the set. However, I discovered that I was making the most difficult directorial decisions in post-production.
I had a wonderful team, without which “Grief” would have never been able to turn out like it did.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Very positive, surprisingly :) With a surreal piece like this one, the audience often has mixed feelings, and the opinions are extreme - viewers either love it or hate it, which I think is good - it means that the film evokes emotions.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Yes, very much so. I’m thankful that it was chosen for Official Selection at LA Shorts Fest, because it shows that the audience might be still interested in an abstract form in moviemaking. It gives me hope :)
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that the film can get more recognition, since LA Shorts Fest is the first competition for “Grief.”
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I’m very much hoping to get the interest of film festival directors, managers and agents, since this is my first film. It would be valuable for the film to reach as many people as possible, because of both its form and content.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I wish “Grief” to be able to reach as many viewers as possible and that they will be able to find something for themselves: emotion, thoughts and experience. I love when a film is open for many different interpretations. While getting feedback I came across various interpretations of the ending and I hope the audience will see it as an advantage.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How much would you sacrifice to find out the truth? What if you find it out and then you wish you didn’t know?
Would you like to add anything else
I would like to invite everyone to come see “Grief” on Tuesday. I keep fingers crossed for the film at this festival as well as the other ones since it’s only the beginning of the festival journey for “Grief.”
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are trying to get “Grief” into the festivals to give it as much recognition as it can get. I am also working on a feature script and my thesis short.
Interview: September 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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Grief
Psychological thriller about a young woman Audrey, who tries to find out whether or not her mentally ill sister really committed suicide.
Synopsis:
Having just lost her mentally ill sister, Audrey enlists the aid of a psychiatrist to cope and find out what really happened to Alice. The psychiatrist introduces Audrey to the world of dreams in which she is supposed to find the answers to all of her questions, but instead, finds hints that ultimately help herunderstand the truth about herself.
Length: 12 min. 43 sec.
Director: Joanna Krawczyk
Writer: Joanna Krawczyk
Since the early years Joanna Krawczyk has started developing passion for film and photography. Currently she is a student at the New York Film Academy, studying BFA in Filmmaking. Her debut short film is “Grief.”
Producer: Tatiana Chelisheva
Tatiana Chelisheva graduated New York Film Academy with MFA in Producing in Los Angeles. While at the Academy, she has produced several festival successful live action and documentary short films and has become the first student in her course to be allowed to do a feature film as her final project.
Key cast:
Miranda Bentley
Michael Laurie
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): I’m looking for anyone, who is interested and sees the potential in “Grief.” I would love to meet film festival directors, distributors, managers, agents and producers!
Funders:
My lovely mom helped me finance the project.
Made in association with:
New York Film Academy
Where can I watch it in the next month? September 6th at 9:55 pm at Regal LA Live as part of LA Shorts Fest competition.