Cannes 2016 / Global Impact Film Festival - I For I
After reporting a sexual assault, to the disbelief of foreign officials, a young woman takes vengeance in her own hands.
Interview with Director Ashleigh Coffelt
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Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We made our film as a part of the Creative Mind Group in Festival de Cannes 2016.
As a predominately female crew, we wanted to tell a story that impacted women. We originally discussed creating a film shedding light on human traffic, but quickly realized our budget and location limitations as we filmed everything in location in Cannes, France.
In the writer's room, we started talking about the rise in sexual assault cases and how often times the victim is blamed for instigating the assault. As tensions started to rise while we each were speaking from personal experiences of varying degrees of assault we had heard about or been victim to, we realized how important of this particular subject matter was to us.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film gives a voice to the countless women who are assaulted each and every day - to those who are brave enough to come forward to authorities, risking even further scrutiny and victimizing.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Personal themes of victimization and gender inequality are showcased brilliantly through this film. We purposely cast a male detective to defend the male assailant. As a female, she is already painted as a weaker character, which is the reality of most relationships of power dominance, such as an interrogation.
Additionally, playing on the lack of conviction or punishment for sexual assault assailants is portrayed very similar to how things play out in real life. In most cases, rape kits are not immediately processed. This is something we would have loved to spend more time exploring, but did not have the resources or locations to do so.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script evolved over about 3 weeks of constant communication, but the core development of the written dialogue occurred over two days. The script was originally 10 pages long, but about three pages of dialogue were cut to make the story's impact more severe through visuals.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Feedback has been great so far! We've had several women who were victims of sexual assault thank us for telling this story and bringing awareness to the victimization of sexual assault victims.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We released the film close to the time the Stanford rape trial announced the sentencing. It was intriguing the timing, but also raised a lot of questions in my own mind about how we could have told this story differently, possibly under different constraints and budget limits. The feedback of the several women I have personally spoken with makes me want to continue creating films that address taboo topics that absolutely need to have attention brought to them.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are looking to have more people see this film and start discussions about the current state of affairs concerning prosecution of sexual assault cases. Ultimately, we are looking to make a difference in the world by providing a platform to force conversations about this topic, and we firmly believe www.wearemovingstories.com is the perfect place for I For I.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We would love to have journalists and film festival directors come on board to amplify the message of awareness on sexual assault cases and proceedings. We need to put this information out there for viewers to see and understand just how terrible the system can be when dealing with sexual assault suspects.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
A call to action from any member of the audience is the greatest impact this film can have. This is from all levels, from members of the law to victims of sexual assault. The mere acknowledgement of the monstrosity and consistency of sexual assault crimes happening every day is not enough. We must work together to stop the crimes from occurring by enforcing stricter penalties and punishments for those guilty of sexual assault. We must work together to stopping the repeated victimization of sexual assault victims. We must work on stopping media portrayals of violence against women. Everyone can do something to help raise awareness and instigate change.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If authorities won't take action against an assailant of sexual assault, is a woman justified in taking her own revenge?
Would you like to add anything else?
This film won Best Director and Best Performance ( Courtney Birk) with the Creative Mind Group as a part of the Festival de Cannes 2016. It has also screened as an Official Selection with the Global Impact Film Festival in Washington, D.C.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Ashleigh Coffelt and Courtney Birk are currently in production for a psychological thriller, Secrets That We Keep. Following the feature film, they plan to film and produce a comedic webseries entitled, "Where Do We Go From Here."
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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I For I
After reporting a sexual assault, to the disbelief of foreign officials, a young woman takes vengeance in her own hands.
Length: 7:33
Director: Ashleigh Coffelt
Producer: Alexandra Nicole
Writer: Stacey Williams & Toriann Lumsden
About the writer, director and producer:
Director/Cinematography Bio :
In her senior semester of college, Baltimore filmmaker Ashleigh Coffelt decided not to follow through with her life plan of becoming a psychologist. Something far more intriguing caught her eye, and from there, she never looked back. Filmmaking combined her love of writing, making stories come to life and music.
After film school, she established Miss Ash Productions and dedicated all her efforts to working on films. Over the last few years, Ashleigh has created over 50 short films that have screened at film festivals both internationally and nationally. Additionally, she has been awarded numerous awards including Best Director, Best Cinematography, and RAW:Baltimore Filmmaker of the Year.
As a proud Filipino American Director, Ashleigh enjoys creating projects that empower women and help change media portrayals of women and minorities. She’s currently working on several projects, including a psychological thriller. She lives by the motto, "Find your passion, never let go."
Key cast: Courtney Birk, Marc Schöttner, Jeff Chen
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Funders: Independently Financed
Made in association with: Creative Mind Group, Festival de Cannes 2016
Release date: May 25, 2016
Where can I watch it in the next month? : https://vimeo.com/ashleighcoffelt/ifori