Commit a crime against nature and it will haunt you for life.

Interview with Writer/Director Bella Monticelli

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to make a film that was an exploration in sound design. Dialogue in many ways tells us what to think, I loved the idea that you had a character that said very little but you knew she was thinking. I wanted to play with that as I felt that was missing from my director's tool kit. I wanted to take the audience on a ride with sound and visuals without relying on dialogue to tell a story.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you have ever had any interest in Karma you should watch this film. So often as children we witness things and are traumatised by acts we have no control over. As an adult you can intelectualise your trauma but yet it still haunts you. I love the notion of guilt and how it affects you even when you have done nothing wrong.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

From a personal perspective I have always been terrified of guns, as a 6 year old my father lived on a ranch in Wyoming. There was a large locked gun cabinet that I had to walk past to get to the kitchen. I would hold my breath as I ran past. Then one day something happened and there was no longer any guns in the house. Their presence no longer haunted me. I loved that notion of an object unnerving your presence. It was only a natural progression to Knives. Universally I think everyone has something that haunts them, we all have a childhood we all have a past. I think for everyone there is something that they can relate to in that.

The Missing Knife - The Director Bella and Allison Castellano rehearse the doorknob scene.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

Ha ha ha it got scarier. It was such an adventure to make this film. Like with every film with each part of the process it evolved like a living organism. Films take on a life of their own - they tell you what they want to be.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Really positive. I love listening to what people have to say - I love that film is completely subjective and that you bring your own experiences to it.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It has been wonderful - I learned so much about feedback from the AFI process - you put people in a room and they are forced to give you their opinion. I heard so many different perspectives and places that people came from. I love that you can have lots of different personal reactions and interpretations.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Most importantly I am so grateful to be a part of wearemovingstories - I am so happy the film has travelled so many places and is being seen by loads of people.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I just hope more people get to see it, spread the word so we can keep making bump in the night movies.

The Missing Knife - Julia Eringer who plays Niara lies away haunted by the visions she has during the night

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I didn’t set out to have an impact necessarily - I just wanted to grow and experiment as a film maker that is the most important thing to get better and better and build a strong narrative style moving forward.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How was your childhood! Ha ha ha ha no I think we all have been through things and I love to talk about the notion of Karma and how it has an affect on peoples lives.

Would you like to add anything else?

ENJOY!

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Next week I am off to Wyoming to film a short film that is being screened at Tribeca Film Festival. I have a tv series in development based on the commercials I did for Bret Easton Ellis’ “The Deleted” that we are hoping to shoot the pilot over the summer. My feature “Par Ici” was shortlisted by the BFI for the ifeatures program and it is currently being developed.

The Missing Knife - A young Niara follows her grandfather onto the salt flats of Bombay Beach.

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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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The Missing Knife

Commit a crime against nature and it will haunt you for life.

Length: 14 minutes

Director: Bella Monticelli

Producer: Ken Morris

Writer: Bella Monticelli

Key cast: Julia Eringer, Bill Watterson, Allison Castellano, Robert Pyute Hessen

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):

Funders: We were very lucky to be funded by friends, loved ones and good Samaritans on Indiegogo

Made in association with: AFI’s Directing Workshop For Women

Where can I see it in the next month?

We are still doing the festival rounds - next up the Capital Cities Film Festival in Michigan.