Rhode Island International Film Festival - The Catch
A tough young girl loves fly fishing in the river near her home. She also likes boys. But boys don’t like girls who fish. Morgan can't seem to reconcile her two interests. Will she have to choose one and abandon the other?
Interview with Writer/Director Holly Brace-Lavoie
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks! I’ve always loved coming of age movies, but realized that I’d never seen my own experience - as a girl - up on screen. I wanted to tell a story about the unique challenges girls face growing up and how those shape us into women.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film is moving and it’s funny. It features a break-out performance from our young star Charli Birdgenaw, and takes you into a young girl’s world, where you’ll get a rare glimpse of what’s its really like growing up female.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Everyone wants to belong. Everyone wants to be themselves. Sometimes it seems impossible to do both. This is especially true for young girls. The film follows Morgan’s personal journey wrestling with these ideas. But it also explores how messaging in the media, peer groups and even trusted adults are keen to throw labels on girls that box them in and trap them up.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The film was a seed of an idea in my mind. It was just me and this idea at first. I wrote and researched alone.
The film really began to take shape when other people got involved. From the producers refining the script, to the cast reworking dialogue, to the images and sound we captured on set all the way through to the edit and mix, every new stage brought new ideas and new ways to improve the story. I’m so grateful to all the talented people who collaborated on this film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It’s been so thrilling to see viewers react to this movie. Children love it and it’s so fun to see and hear them gasping and humming and chuckling along. Adult audiences are a bit quieter but we still get lots of laughs and crying. The most incredible thing is when grown women approach me after the film to share how they connected with the story, or saw themselves in the character. They, like me, have never seen a truthful portrayal of their own childhood on screen before.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I never really thought I was making a kid’s movie so the reaction from young audiences is encouraging. It’s clear that they don’t need to be pandered to. It’s okay to challenge them a bit.
I’ve also been surprised by how the film has been received by LGBTQ programmers. I didn’t conceive the film as a queer narrative, but is so lovely that the story speaks to that experience too.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I love any exposure I can get. And I’m always looking to find new collaborators, new audiences, and new opportunities. We want this film to reach as many people as possible.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Buyers, festival programmers and journalists are all encouraged to reach out to talk about the film.
We’re working with the lovely people at H264 for distribution right now. They can be found here: www.h264distribution.com
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
My favorite reaction is when people tell me “That was me! You captured my childhood” Or “That’s my kid! She living that right now.” It confirms my hunch that this kind of story and character hasn’t been represented on screen nearly enough. So I hope it continues to connect with people in that way.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What are some of the formative challenges or damaging messages you faced growing up and how to they compare to the ones Morgan tackles in the film?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thanks for having me here! And thanks for providing a platform with gender parity that promotes new voices in filmmaking! We need more places like this!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The producers at Colonelle Films are just about to shoot a really exciting feature called Une Colonie. And they have a bunch of other stuff on the go. You can check them out here: www.colonellefilms.com
I’m developing two features and a short film right now. One of the features is called Motherload, and it’s a dark comedy about post-partum depression. I’ve got notes and ideas for a few other things including a comedic web-series called Comedium about a female comic discovering she has psychic powers.
Interview: August 2017
_______________________________________________________________________________
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
_______________________________________________________________________________
Film Title: The Catch
A tough young girl loves fly fishing in the river near her home. She also likes boys. But boys don’t like girls who fish. Morgan can't seem to reconcile her two interests. Will she have to choose one and abandon the other?
Length: 14:46 mins
Director: Holly Brace-Lavoie
Producer: Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew and Genvieve Dulude De-Celles
Writer: Holly Brace-Lavoie
About the writer, director and producer:
Holly is a writer and filmmaker based in Montreal. She recently created and directed the comedic web-series The High Note which has garnered a dedicated audience on-line. Holly is currently touring the festival circuit with short film The Catch which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, while writing her first feature film Motherload.
Key cast:
Charli BIRDGENAW, Billy ILIOPOULOS, Joseph NAPOLITANO, Sara BRADEEN, Nafsika BALOUSKAS
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Buyers, festival directors and journalists.
Where can I see it in the next month?
Rhode Island International Film Festival