Final Girls 'Women In Horror' Berlin Film Festival - I Should Have Run
One cold dark night, a woman encounters something strange and terrifying on her walk home. When it asks her a question, her sheer terror causes her to lie... with disastrous consequences.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Gabriela Staniszewska
Watch I Should Have Run here:
Lead photo: I Should Have Run was filmed on the Bristol to Bath cycle-path in February 2016.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wrote I Should Have Run in the wake of my best friend’s suicide in 2015. I was working as a runner on a BBC show at the time, and had a lot of time to think whilst attending to the red light and bell. It was extremely cathartic for me to channel my grief into something that reflected the darkness of my feelings at the time.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Horror is always worth watching. There is always a camera trick, or a scare, or an idea that you haven’t seen before, even in the lowest budget short, or the baddest “bad movie”. Horror is very free in that sense. The low cost of making horror films, combined with not being taken too seriously by the mainstream industry allows the filmmakers a freedom not found in other genres.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Personally I Should Have Run was very important for me to make, as I have mentioned above. However, I feel very strongly that horror is an excellent medium through which to discuss mental health issues: it is ethereal, unmanageable, terrifying and difficult to grasp. This is a lot like depression, chronic or otherwise, and I would imagine a lot like other psychological issues that are difficult to explain to non-sufferers. Horror allows for a certain poetic license, which is absolutely necessary when trying to shine a light on mental health issues.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The whole thing happened very quickly to be honest. The narration was written in October 2015, then we lost my Father to a heart attack very soon afterwards. In the new year of 2016 I got my small team together and we shot it over three nights in February on the Bristol to Bath cycle-path. 2015 was a tough year, but 2016 was better, and here’s to better yet to come!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Surprisingly good feedback, which is amazing! For a budget of only £200 this film has certainly opened my eyes to what you can do with a good idea, and an excellent team behind you.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The most honest feedback of course comes from those closest to you, and my husband pointed out the limits of a narration to the rhythm of the film. When reading a poem, one has to keep to its rhythm, this does mean that any pauses for effect, or to set the mood, are limited somewhat. It’s certainly given me a lot to think about in my next project.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Getting the film seen by more people is always a bonus. This, in conjunction with Blumhouse.com exclusively premiering I Should Have Run online at the end of March will hopefully raise the film’s profile a little more. I have several projects in the pipeline, and would love to garner a little more interest in my work.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I guess film festival directors? As the more it is seen in festivals, and the more it wins, the better for horror as a genre. Horror rarely wins or is even nominated, as people do not tend to realise that underneath the blood and the scares is usually a very powerful message. Horror is a very unsubtle way of talking about very subtle things. The more people we get to realise that, the better. For me, personally, it would be great to have producers take an interest in the themes I like to discuss, as these themes are likely to be prevalent in future projects too.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like more people to realise the social importance of horror as a genre, and how it can be used to elucidate the unspeakable. If it in any way helps put horror on the map, that would be a definite achievement.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do you talk about depression effectively through the medium of film?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I (Gabriela Staniszewska) am currently working on two new features, with similar psychological themes. One is a sci-fi and one a horror, both in various draft stages. I am always looking for interested parties to bring them to fruition.
February 2017
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I Should Have Run
One cold dark night, a woman encounters something strange and terrifying on her walk home. When it asks her a question, her sheer terror causes her to lie... with disastrous consequences.
Length: 3 mins 50 secs.
Director: Gabriela Staniszewska
Producer: Gabriela Staniszewska
Writer: Gabriela Staniszewska
About the writer, director and producer:
Gabriela Staniszewska is the award winning Director, Writer and Producer of The Spring, which made an impression on the festival circuit in 2015. Winner of the Woman Director of the Year award, and a Gold Award for Excellence at the IFFWSZ festival in Jakarta, I Should Have Run is her horror debut. Her first major project was Bristol zombie film Blaise, for which she was the Producer, as well as other credits. Since then she has assistant directed and produced various other short animations and live-action films.
Key cast: Gabriela Staniszewska
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Looking for producers for my next projects.
Funders: Gabriela Staniszewska
Made in association with: Films @ 59
Where can I see it in the next month?
In the next month you can see I Should Have Run at the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival (Germany) running from the 23rd of February, at The Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival (USA) from the 2nd – 5th of March, in my home town at the Bristol Film Festival (UK) on the 9th and 10th of March and at the Los Angeles Women’s Film Festival (USA) from the 23rd – 26th of March.