CANNES SHORT FILM CORNER - Leash
Logline: James has been Rose’s model and muse for several years, after a long absence he returns to her studio unexpectedly.
Length: 12 min 20 sec
Director: Jennifer Derwingson
Producer/Writer: Jennifer Lieberman
Jennifer Lieberman is a Canadian Writer/Performer/Producer known for her Award-Winning solo show “Year of the Slut” and book “Aural Sex: Naughty Notes for Lovers”.
Jennifer Derwingson is a writer/director whose credits include Z NATION, AND SOON THE DARKNESS, THE YELLOW WOOD, BLESSED, and LEASH. www.jenderwingson.com
Looking For: Distributors, Film Festival Directors, Journalists.
Funders: Jennifer Lieberman
Made in Association With: We Make Movies
Release Date:
The Festival De Cannes Court Metrage is our first Festival. We have not had a public screening yet.
Why did you make a film called LEASH?
I wanted to explore and challenge traditional gender roles and power dynamics within intimate relationships, and what happens emotionally to men and women when those roles are reversed.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
LEASH is a tense, emotional journey of passion, longing and a return to trust.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Many times in matters of the heart we become slaves to our emotions, we are willing to submit to our lover and endure pain for the sake of love and connection.
How has the script and film evolved over the course of its development and production?
Lieberman – Originally the script was written with the female as the submissive/model and the male as the dominant/artist. In my writing group a woman suggested that I flip the gender roles and explore the script with the male as the submissive and the female as the dominant. At first the idea irked me, it bothered to the point that I had to explore it. I simply inserted a male actor in the female role and a female in the male role without changing dialogue or action.
Derwingson – With the visual vocabulary of the film I wanted to depict a transformation in the characters and their relationship from denial and suppression, to wholeness and authentic expression.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The Fetival de Cannes Court Metrage is our first festival, we screen tomorrow, so we have not received feedback yet.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingimages.com?
We are hoping to expose the film to a new and varied audiences around the world.
Who do you need to come on board?
Distributors, Film Festival Directors, Journalists
What type of impact or reception would you like this film to have?
We would like the film to have a primal, emotional impact on the audience, and then to ask themselves and others why they had that response.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about the film?
Does seeing a man in a submissive and vulnerable position make you uncomfortable? Why or why not? Does seeing a woman in that same position seem more normal? Why or why not?
What are the key creative working on or developing now?
Jennifer Derwingson – I am a writer/producer/director on the Syfy Network Series Z NATION. I am developing the Supernatural YA Thriller SHADOWLAND with Broken Road Productions and director Richard Hickey, as well as two SciFi/Comedy television pilots. I am also in the process of setting up my first feature as a director: THE YELLOW WOOD, a supernatural thriller.
Jennifer Lieberman – I am currently in development for my first feature “Year of the Slut” an adaptation of my Solo Show turned Novel that deals with women’s sexual empowerment. I am also developing the experimental film “DETAILS”, a take on “La Ronde” where each actor will play both the male and female roles flipping their sexual orientation each time they appear. I can also been seen in Cult Sensation Tommy Wiseau’s sitcom “The Neighbors” on Hulu.