London Feminist Film Festival - Faith
Faith shares the story of her violation to highlight the culture of rape that women live in every day through the media and social attitudes.
Interview with Director Eve Jeffery
Watch Faith on Facebook
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I am a journalist for the Byron Shire Echo, a small rural newspaper in Byron Bay, Australia. In early 2011, when the man who raped her was up for parole, Faith came to me to write a story in the hope I could highlight the vicious attack upon her and put pressure on the system to keep him locked up, as he had not shown any signs of remorse or rehabilitation and had threatened to kill her after he was sentenced.
Even though her attack could have left her permanently cold and untrusting, I was struck by Faith’s warmth as well as her honesty and resilience. We became friends. I was determined to make a film about her “one day”. When the St Kilda Film Festival called for entries for their 2016 Filmmakers Challenge, I submitted the idea and it was chosen as one of six films from a national competition to be made – it was time.
The other thing is simply: I had daughters, daughters who every day live in a culture that accepts rape as a minor offence rather than a life-shattering insidious evil that will continue to fly under the radar until we as a world community “out” it and treat it with the condemnation it deserves.
I made this film for my aunts and sisters and mother and grandmothers – and my grand babies and their babies and their babies.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I am hoping that audiences will see that this is the story of a victim; a victim of a terrible and vicious crime. A crime against her body, her mind and her soul. A victim who has had irreversible damage done to her life – damage that her perpetrator’s time in prison won’t erase. A victim who through her own strength and resilience became a survivor. I am hoping audiences will first of all have a better understanding of how rape culture engulfs our society so much so that we have become desensitised and indifferent, and then to start looking for it – seeing it and smelling it and demanding that this culture be erased from our society.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
What happened to Faith is a microcosm of the macrocosm. It is only Faith’s bravery that makes this film touch people on many levels.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The story was prompted by my original meeting with Faith and the story I wrote for The Echo – I tried to keep the events as faithful to the original telling as I could. The major development in the film was the re-enactment, which I deliberately made sure was shot in a way to convey the terror of the attack but was clearly not a rape in action ( i.e. there is no nudity and you can see our lead’s undies etc). To put it bluntly, I didn’t want it being so realistic that people “got off” on it. Also, I didn’t want to put our brilliant actress Jordan through what I considered the unnecessary discomfort of feeling vulnerable and naked in a public place in a throbbing tourist destination, while she was being “attacked”, just for the sake of a few minutes shock value.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
All the feedback has been really positive. We are very careful about delivering the trigger warning. We’ve seen a lot of tears. We get a lot of people who express how much they admire Faith. A lot of people have wanted to talk to us and explore the themes of rape culture. In fact we haven’t had any negative feedback so far.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
If anything the feedback has validated my vision and encouraged me to eventually make a feature length doco about this huge issue.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
A wider audience for the film and its issues.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Additional festival appearances and media interest are our main focus at the moment. I would also like to meet people who are interested in exploring these issues in a longer form film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Very simply I’d like people to wake up and look around. To stop buying into this constant barrage of violence against women and making it ok by being blind to it, and to say “no” with their feet and their wallets. To stop buying products that objectify women in their advertising.
To stop subscribing to magazines that treat women as nothing more than a canvas to be touched up. To start teaching our sons and daughters to have respect for their own bodies, which will hopefully teach them to respect and honour others around them. To honour and respect the majority of decent men in our society who inevitably get tarred with same brush and thrown into the “all-men-are-bastards” basket every time another woman is raped. Heavens above, I am starting to sound like I live near Byron Bay! Oh. Hang on…
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why do we accept rape culture as a normal part of our society?
Would you like to add anything else?
I think the world needs more free pizza deliveries and those pizzas need to be vegan! (I believe in respecting the bodies of ALL earthlings).
But seriously: Education is the key. By educating our children about the worth of every person (and earthling) on the face of the planet, by creating communities where respect is universal and where those with mental health and personality issues are nurtured and cared for and not shunned or isolated. By looking out for each other, we can better address the problems that create perpetrators and nip things in the bud – then the tragedy of victims will disappear.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are making a number of films about the assaults of the mining industry on the environment in Australia, as well as highlighting the important positive role that artists of various kinds can play in society.
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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Faith
Faith shares the story of her violation to highlight the culture of rape that women live in every day through the media and social attitudes.
Length: 10 minutes
Director: Eve Jeffery
Producers: Eve Jeffery & David Lowe
About the writer, director and producer:
From a young age I have written and taken photos. This became a career as a photojournalist which has grown into work as a filmmaker. My main collaborator at Cloudcatcher Media, David Lowe, has been making docos and dramas for many years.
Key cast: Jordy Davis and Tom Davies. Faith.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Funders: Olympus Australia
Made in association with: St Kilda Film Festival & Olympus Australia
Release date: Saturday May 21, 2106
Where can I watch it in the next month?
London Feminist Film Festival, Rio Cinema in Dalston (London) Saturday August 21.