Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival - Lost Soul
Journey into a dark night of the soul as this psychological thriller keeps you guessing right up until the final unsettling twist.
Interview with Writer/Director Sarah Hatherley
Watch Lost Soul here:
Main photo: Actress Amelia Bishop as Em.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
It had been 15 years since I made my IF award winning first short film, Just Do It. I’d left a successful advertising career to be a filmmaker, and despite having written three feature film screenplays, I felt no closer to realizing my goals. So I decided to make an ambitious short film, one with every challenge I could set myself, including the goal of a European premiere at one of the 12 film festivals that could earn me an ‘eligible fiction credit’ with Screen Australia.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Curiosity. From the opening scene, luminous images and a brooding original score form the emotional architecture for a journey through a dark night of the soul. Stripped of dialogue, the viewer is drawn into our hero’s world, with a dissolving sense of reality her emotional state becomes progressively unstable. Someone is out to get her, but decoding the hidden layers of meaning keep the viewer guessing to the very end.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It is a psychological thriller, so for a significant part of the film, the viewer is working hard to understand the world that they have entered. They recognise that there is a young woman at the centre of the story and that she is in crisis. The other characters are more opaque, but there is something of the archetype in each of them.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Having explored the themes over many years, the final distillation into a short film happened easily. Planning the production was another matter. It was an ambitious script for an independently funded short film. From the coast to the city, to the suburbs and the mountains, Lost Soul was always going to require meticulous planning to pull off my vision of a cinematic gem. With a seven year old child in a key role, underwater shots, and low-loader night sequences, and high intensity nightclub scenes, it had everything.
Working with Tony Rogers on this project was a joy. To have a collaborator that had the same passion for independent filmmaking, the same relentless pursuit of the truth in storytelling, but a completely different skill set was a powerful combination. Drawing on his extraordinary network of talented film technicians, Tony brought a very adept group of collaborators to the project for which I am very grateful. Joel Bett’s cinematography was exquisite. And Tim Parrington as editor and VFX was crucial to weaving together a powerful short.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Having had only one public screening, the feedback has been limited. It has been described as “mesmerizing” “powerful and disturbing”, “exquisite” with “incredible production values” a “fabulous ending”, “a short masterpiece”.
Being selected to premiere in the Noves Vision section of the prestigious Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain in October 2016 was a wonderful opportunity, and meeting the programmer – Gloria Fernandes - who had selected the film out of the 800+ entries was a thrill. She loved the film and was glad that the judging committee agreed with her. https://vimeo.com/187326987
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
No. The film is challenging, it brings up emotions. It is up to the individual to process it and make sense of it for themselves.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would dearly love to have Lost Soul screen more widely. While it happily sits on the edges of the fantasy genre, it doesn’t belong at Horror festivals.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Lost Soul is a distillation of a feature film, which was in the process of morphing into a TV series. So there is a potential long form version of Lost Soul. But this short is only at the beginning of its journey, so film festival directors in particular could assist in the short term.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Self-reflection. And for young people in particular, the realization that the greatest challenges don’t come from external foes but from within, and that they have the power to determine their lives.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
When you are being your own worst enemy, who is in the driver’s seat? What aspect of you is at war with the human being who simply wants to live a joyful life?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for the opportunity to amplify the film’s message.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am actively working towards increasing the percentage of Australian female feature film directors from historic lows of around 13%.
Interview: February 2017
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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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Lost Soul
Journey into a dark night of the soul as this psychological thriller keeps you guessing right up until the final unsettling twist.
Length: 12 minutes
Director: Sarah Hatherley
Producer: Sarah Hatherley and Tony Rogers
Writer: Sarah Hatherley
About the writer, director and producer: Sarah Hatherley
Sarah is the quintessential creative entrepreneur; independent filmmaker, children’s book publisher, brand builder. Writer of 3 feature screenplays. Award winner Just Do It (2001) The Birth (2016).
Producer Tony Rogers
Writer/director/producer known for his deadpan comedy. Co-creator/director Wilfred (2007 & 2011) Rats and Cats (2007), web-series How to Talk Australians (2014), and Bruce (2016).
Key cast: Amelia Bishop, Violetta Capanni, Timothy Bell, David Shire, Karen Day
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All of the above, including film festival directors who are interested in showcasing the work of female directors.
Funders: self-funded by Hatherley