Cannes Short Film Corner - The Kiss
When a mother is summoned to her son’s school because of an incident that took place earlier on that day, we see the workings of how society expects people to behave and how it deals with people who do not conform to its norms and rules.
Interview with Writer and Producer Barbara de la Fuente
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
As the old saying goes: "Write what you know" and that's exactly what I did. I immigrated to Canada several years ago and had to learn how to adapt to a new culture and a new way of doing things. I also have a lot of friends who are part of the LGBTQ community and have heard many of their stories of the challenges they faced as kids, especially when it came to their ability to be able to express themselves. I then thought: What would it be like for an Italian mother to have to not only have to deal with integrating into a new society but also have to deal with a society that sees her son as sick in the past? What does she do? I wanted to set it in the 50s so that people could reflect on today's society and draw parallels between the two.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Not only is the film cinematically stunning (from the set to the costumes), with heartfelt performances, it also forces us to question the prejudices we each have in our own lives. We all have them. Films like The Kiss show us that we, as humans, are multifaceted complex beings and although we may staunchly fight for something one moment, we then reverse course the next. Our lives are far more complex than most of us are willing to lead on.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The universal themes of The Kiss are family, love, acceptance and prejudice and on a personal level, we see how two families struggle to stay together and to adapt to several challenges. That in spite of all of our differences, we are actually more alike than we think.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The first draft was written in 2015, and was part of WMMC (We Make Movies Canada) script incubator. It took us a longer period of time to complete the project since it's a period piece and we had to find the perfect location and the perfect costumes all on an indie budget. We did an Indiegogo Campaign and were so blessed to have the backing of several individuals, a local charity and local businesses
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People who watched the film liked it very much, they think it's necessary to discuss these issues today. They also loved the visual aesthetics of the film. It's made them realize that as much as things have changed for the better, we still have a king way to go to achieve equality for all.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback we've received has not been much of a surprise or a challenge to our point of view. It has given us a sense of accomplishment and the need to create more works such as The Kiss.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The more visibility this film receives, the more we gain as filmmakers, as artists, and as people. It sheds a light on an issue that is extremely important to us, something that it’s not discussed enough.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are looking for buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists, sales agents and whomever else was moved by this story as we were.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We would like The Kiss to be accepted in film festivals around the world and we’d like people to get to know our work and join us in future projects.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How can we as artists make a difference in the world? Are things that different today or are we better at hiding our prejudices?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for giving our movie a space and for taking the time to interview us.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are working on a few shorts and are currently in the middle of producing two features and creating a series.
Interview: May 2017
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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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The Kiss
Prejudice is timeless, so is love
Length: 7 min
Director: Joffre Faria Silva
Producer: Barbara de la Fuente and David Emanuel
Writer: Barbara de la Fuente
About the writer, director and producer:
Barbara de la Fuente ( writer and producer): an award-winning actress, writer and producer who has worked in Brazil and Canada in award winning plays, films and TV series. She is the founder of Southern Mirrors.
Joffre Faria Silva (director): Brazilian born, Joffre Faria Silva received his BFA in Film Studies at Concordia University. His shorts and feature films have won awards in several festivals around the world.
David Emanuel (producer): a writer, singer, producer who has been featured in several TV shows, films and in theatre and has been recently producing with his company DECO Pictures.
Key cast: Barbara de Fuente, Denise DeSanctis, Savannah Burton, David Emanuel and Victor Gilbert
(Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): distributors, film festival directors, sales agents, buyers, journalists
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmthekiss/
Twitter: @filmthekiss
Other: http://southernmirrors.com/the-kiss/
Funders: GTE Productions (Mariah Owen), indiegogo backers
Made in association with: Southern Mirrors and DECO Pictures
Where can I see it in the next month? We're in the middle of submitting to film festivals and waiting for their response