St Kilda Film Festival - The Shadow Boxer
Unable to overcome her sister's death or compete with her legacy, Lyssa risks sabotaging her own boxing career and personal life.
Interview with Writer/Director Phoebe Nell Williams
Main photo: Jet Tranter as Lyssa - a moment from the boxing shoot. Photo credit: Kaz Ceh
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wanted to explore a character with a huge amount of rage and grief trapped within them that they have no idea how to express verbally or emotionally. Women are faced with such rigid expectations of their behaviour, and any expression of violence or anger is considered strange and abnormal. The reality is though, that women can feel that way – and I wanted to give a voice to that.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The diversity within the film is worth supporting. It is written, directed and produced by women, the majority of the characters are women and there is diversity within the cast that has absolutely nothing to do with the story.
I also personally recommend the boxing scenes. They look good. That, and three out of the four people you see fighting are actual boxers (our lead actor is a boxer and stunt performer when she’s not acting – how’s that for wild talents hey?)
Also, finally – there is a lot of hummus in this film. If you like that kind of thing.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
At its core, The Shadow Boxer is a story about grief and grappling with awful combinations of guilt and self-hatred and resentment. The most difficult deaths for people to deal with are those where they had a complicated relationship with the person who died.
It is also about the dynamics of female relationships. The idea that women are always competitive and unsupportive of each other is clichéd and not represented by reality. The Shadow Boxer is quite literally about women competing, but a huge part of the story is the dynamic between an angry woman and a teenage girl who is willing to reach out to her time and time again, trying to wear her down into some kind of warmth. Women know how to look out of for each other - I see it every day.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Honestly, the writing process was one of the most painful I have ever experienced. It took me so long to figure out what I was trying to say and how I wanted to say it. The one constant was the character of Lyssa, who is desperately trying to both cling to, and overcome the past. These opposing desires are what ended up holding the film together through 16 plus drafts with very different storylines.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Thankfully positive! It had its premiere on Saturday 20 May at St Kilda Film Festival and more people than just my mum liked it - which is good! It’s not a comedy, but there were quite a few laughs at the lighter moments in the film, which is comforting in a room full of strangers.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It is very career-affirming to have strangers respond positively to your work. It is so easy to criticise your own work, and after you’ve spent months putting it together, pulling it apart and repeating the process – you get sick of it. This time I hadn’t seen it for six months, so I was able to watch it properly with distance and appreciation.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’d love to see some people come along to the next screening if they missed the premiere. It has an encore screening at the St Kilda Film Festival on Tuesday May 23, 8pm as a part of the original composition forum (What’s the Score?)
Also, if anyone has any questions – they are more than welcome to get in touch with me.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We’d love to get in touch with other festivals who are interested in screening it – and any media industry people who’d be interested in speaking with me or the cast.
If there are any platforms out there wanting to obtain exhibition rights for short films like this one – we’d love to hear from you!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I guess the first goal is for people to enjoy watching it. Film is escapism as much as it is social commentary, and I want to tell a good story. I’d also love it if the film managed to challenge anyone’s perceptions of what women are physically and emotionally capable of, and what our ‘place’ in this world is.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Have you ever hurt people who were trying to help you?
Have you ever let the past control you?
Would you like to add anything else?
The Australian film industry is the love of my life, and if you’re not totally sure how you feel about it, I encourage you to watch as many films and TV shows this industry has produced as you possibly can. I truly believe there is something for everyone. While I’m happy for writers and directors who dream of working overseas – I also want people to stay here. We have so much to offer, and nobody else is qualified to tell our stories. This is an eclectic mix, but here are some films I recommend: High Tide, The Year My Voice Broke, Spotswood, The Sum of Us, Beneath Clouds, My Year Without Sex, Animal Kingdom, Galore, Holding the Man and Jasper Jones.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m in pre-production for my next short film, which is a coming of age dystopian drama where Australia’s coasts are lined with refugee camps. The story follows an ambitious teenage cadet, who is determined to rise through the army ranks to live a life of freedom and status, but the work is brutal and the price for survival is other people’s lives.
It’s a proof of concept for a trilogy of features I’m writing, aimed at a teenage audience.
Hayley (producer of The Shadow Boxer) is interning on a feature film by Amiel Courtin-Wilson and producing a VCA Masters short drama about the femicides and oppression of women in Mexico.
Interview: May 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 Shadow Boxer
Unable to overcome her sister's death or compete with her legacy, Lyssa risks sabotaging her own boxing career and personal life.
Length: 12:31
Director: Phoebe Nell Williams
Producer: Hayley Surgenor
Writer: Phoebe Nell Williams
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer/director: Devotee to the Australian film industry who wants to tell widely appealing stories that encourage people to question the world we live in.
Producer: Hayley loves stories about strong women. She also produced The Flower Girl, which screened on opening night at the 2016 St Kilda Film Festival.
Key cast: Jet Tranter, Zenya Carmellotti
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Film festival directors, journalists and buyers.
Social media handles
Twitter: @phoebenwilliams
Instagram: @phoebenellwilliams
Email: phoebenellwilliams@gmail.com
Made in association with: Victorian College of the Arts
Where can I see it in the next month?
Tuesday 23 May, 8pm, St Kilda Town Hall. What’s the Score? is a free event with an encore screening of three festival films with original composition. I will be there with our composer Elle Young for the Q&A afterwards.