London Short Film Festival - Your Mother and I
Johnna's Dad changed the world. Or so he says. But Johnna and her dad can't seem to connect, each growing more and more frustrated, revolving around one another in their own orbits.
Interview with Director Anna Maguire
Watch Your Mother and I here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made ‘Your Mother and I’ because Dave Eggers’ original short story really connected with me. The complexities of relationships within families, the desire to effect some positive change in the world, as well as the humour and fantasy in the way all this was presented… However I only managed to make the film five years after hearing the story for the first time! Hearing it, I realised I wanted to make a film out of it, however I hadn’t directed any films before, only theatre at university, so I set about working with photographers and filmmakers to teach myself what kind of a filmmaker I was.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s a fun thing to do for just over ten minutes. Hopefully!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Universal themes touch us all personally, and our personal experiences are usually mixed in with the more universal in some way. It’s hard to extricate the two. That’s sort of what the film is about, so when Johnna’s father talks about changing the world together with her seemingly absent mother, the audience hopefully begins to bring their own personal experiences to the story being told, making up their own minds about what’s true and what isn’t.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
As the film was originally a short story that is in itself a monologue by the father character, there was a need to delve into the daughter, Johnna’s world. Julia Hart, my co-writer and I worked on developing our version of who Johnna is – her age, her attitude towards her father, the intricacies in her responses to him so that she is a fully fledged character in her own right, not just a sounding board for her father’s fantastical story. In fact this was one of my main desires for the piece – to explore Johnna’s inner world whilst having her say as little as possible. When rehearsing the piece, Don McKellar and Julia Sarah Stone brought so much of themselves to the characters, building up the script so that small changes to dialogue were made, moments were added and this particular father and daughter were born.
Once we got into the edit, I worked with Maureen Grant to refine the story we had; it’s amazing what you can do with a ten-minute continuous story that occurs in one room! I love the editing process as it feels very much like another writing process, just more visually this time. We sculpted the moments in a way that diverges from the script and exists in its own right. The importance of the script as a blueprint rather than a binding contract is tantamount to me, though of course I wanted to remain true to the world of the original short story.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Lots of different feedback! That’s one of the things I like about this film; it’s open ended in terms of its meaning or rather there’s a lot of space for an audience to read into it in different ways. I know what I think, however what’s equally important is what each individual person who watches it gets out of it, and I am certainly not going to say what anyone should think of the film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has surprised me pleasantly. People have read it in such imaginative and personal ways and I am very happy to have made a film that communicates the general idea, tone and emotional space that I wanted to get across, whilst leaving room for everybody’s personalities and experiences.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that people will be interested in watching the film when it comes out online and when it next plays at a festival near them.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We have just started working with a wonderful sales agent Magnet Film, and we have screened at a variety of festivals, starting with TIFF and the BFI London Film Festival. We were so happy to screen to full audiences at such supportive and generous film festivals, and we hope that 2017 brings some more of the same. So anybody that wants to get on board, say hey!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope that people connect to the story as much as I did the first time I heard it! Obviously it’d be nice if people liked it, but you can’t really dictate that can you?
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Would you like there to be as many llamas as there are squirrels in the world?
Would you like to add anything else?
I hope you enjoy!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am working on a short film project and feature project here in the UK, Kat Hidalgo one of the producers of ‘Your Mother and I’ is developing a web series with writer Julia Hoff that I am going to both direct part of and act in, as well as working on a short film she has written and plans to direct. Peter Kuplowsky is developing a couple of feature projects in Toronto, as well as working as a programmer for Austin Fantastic Fest, Toronto After Dark Film Festival and as Colin Geddes’ programming assistant at TIFF. Julia Hart just finished a slew of short films including one she shot in Toronto, which Kat and I produced. We’re excited to see a cut of it! I hope to work with them all lots more in the future, as we had such a great time.
Interview: January 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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Your Mother and I
Johnna's Dad changed the world. Or so he says. But Johnna and her dad can't seem to connect, each growing more and more frustrated, revolving around one another in their own orbits.
Length: 13:20
Director: Anna Maguire
Producer: Kat Hidalgo, Peter Kuplowsky, Anna Maguire
Writer: Anna Maguire, Julia Hart
About the writer, director and producer:
Anna Maguire is a filmmaker, actor and writer. She enjoys working with both children and animals as ‘Your Mother and I’ attests to!
An aficionado of the intersections between genre and the avant-garde, Peter (Kuplowsky) regularly champions the work of outsider artists, and seeks out collaborations with burgeoning filmmakers. He once wore a hat, and remains a hat enthusiast.
Kat Hidalgo is a Toronto based independent filmmaker, committed to telling stories that explore human struggle and social issues.
Key cast: Don McKellar, Julia Sarah Stone
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Anyone who’s interested in the film!
Funders: generous and wonderful people who supported us via Indiegogo.
Release date: First screening 14th September 2016, TIFF 2016
Where will it screen in the next month?
It has just screened twice at The London Short Film Festival where it has been nominated for The Best British Short Film Award. It will be in Berlin at The British Shorts Film Festival on the 15th of February, and in Vancouver at the Reel 2 Reel Festival in April.