TIFF Canada Top Ten Films - Fish
A single mother navigates raising three young children while clinging to her fading relationship with their father.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Heather Young
Watch Fish here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I had been wanting to shoot a documentary about my cousin because I found her to be a fascinating character. I started shooting a documentary about her when we found out she was pregnant with twins while she already had a two year old toddler. Eventually the documentary approach didn’t feel like enough for me, so I started adding fictional elements, until the film became a documentary/fiction hybrid that was shot in a home video style over several years.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
There are emotional moments in the film, but there are also funny moments, so I hope there is something for everyone. Also the film spans almost four years in 11 and a half minutes, so that’s kind of neat. The kids in the film grow up before your eyes.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The personal themes I’m exploring in the film revolve around the experience of the single mother. I was raised entirely by my mother and I am drawn to telling stories about families with absent fathers, and how the woman is expected to be the primary caregiver for their children. That same expectation of responsibility is not placed on men with kids. In terms of universal themes, the film explores feelings of loneliness and grieving over a lost relationship.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The concept of the film changed significantly over the course of the several years that I worked on the project off and on. For a while it was a project that I would start and stop often. It began as a documentary about my cousin and her domestic life. But that didn’t really turn out how I thought it would so I abandoned the project. Then I revisited it as an entirely fictional script that I wrote for my cousin to be in. I started shooting that but it didn’t go as I’d anticipated either so I abandoned the idea again.
Eventually I picked it up again with the idea of making it a hybrid between documentary and fiction, and I began shooting more scenes that were planned out in advance. After these years of stops and starts I ended up with a lot of footage, so this story was really made through the editing process, in which I took bits and pieces of what I had done over the years and pulled it together into something cohesive.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I’ve received lots of nice feedback about the film, mostly from people coming up to talk to me after screenings. Some people have said they laughed and cried, and it was nice to hear they felt that much range of emotion.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
A lot of people want to know what in the film is “real” and what is fictional, and it has surprised me how focused they become on those details. To me the film is a kind of blending of those elements, but a lot of people seem to really want to break it down into scenes that fit strictly into either the documentary or fiction category, which is an interesting reaction to me.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
It’s always nice to have more people hear about the film and perhaps become interested in watching it and my future work.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All are welcome.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I just hope that people feel something when they watch it and have empathy for the main character as she struggles with having to raise three kids by herself.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why does society expect mothers to be completely committed to their kids at all times, while it is common and accepted for fathers to be absent or much less involved?
Would you like to add anything else?
I made this film entirely by myself from start to finish.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have started shooting a new short film called Milk that is entirely fictional and is about a young woman who is pregnant and working on a rural dairy farm. It should be completed by Summer 2017.
Interview: March 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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Fish
A single mother navigates raising three young children while clinging to her fading relationship with their father.
Length: 11 min 33 sec
Director: Heather Young
Producer: Heather Young
Writer: Heather Young
About the writer, director and producer:
Heather Young was raised in New Brunswick and now lives in Nova Scotia. She graduated from the University of New Brunswick and NSCAD University. Her thesis film Dog Girl won the Norman McLaren Award for Best Student Film at the Montreal World Film Festival. Her short films include Green (2013), Howard and Jean (2014) and Fish (2016) and have screened at festivals such as the Atlantic Film Festival, Festival du Nouveau Cinema and the Chicago Underground Film Festival. Her most recent short Fish received an Honourable Mention for Best Canadian Short at the Vancouver International Film Festival and was included in TIFF Canada’s Top Ten.
Key cast: Robyn Mendoza
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afishyshortfilm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherYoungest
Instagram: @heatheryoungest
Other:
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All of the above.
Where can I see it in the next month?
The next screening is part of the cross Canada tour of the TIFF Top Ten films, in Winnipeg at the Cinematheque on March 26th
https://www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/product/canadas-top-ten-shorts-part-two/