Down Under Berlin / New Zealand Film Festival - Red Kite
A young girl’s world is turned upside down when she is forced to live with her estranged grandfather for a couple of weeks.
Interview with Writer/Director Susanna van Aswegen
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! Ultimately, I made the film because I wanted to convey the importance of family and the power of love and how it can have a significant impact on a person’s life. My aim was to create a simple story that feels real, untouched and unconstructed.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think the audience should watch the film as it is from a child’s perspective and I believe that any audience member can relate to and emotionally invest in her innocent character and her journey as she tries to deal with the absence of her mother and form a relationship with her estranged grandfather.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Family, loss, love and nostalgia are some of the big themes in the film. Everybody has had a childhood and has experienced some form of a loss in their lives and so I think the film has been particularly successful because of its universal themes.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script definitely went on a bit of a roller coaster ride when it came to the development. At some stage I was told by my university supervisors to develop my characters more and look more deeply into their backstories. Whilst this certainly helped with directing my actors and giving them meaning behind their actions, my script started to become too long and over complicated. It’s interesting because the final cut of the film ended up resembling the first draft of my script more than the final draft.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback we have received for the film has been great so far. We have been accepted into both local and international film festivals and even managed to take home the Brisbane International Film Festival Centurion Short Film Award last month. But what has been most rewarding for myself as a director was seeing audience members actually getting emotional during the screening of the film. Even shedding a tear or two!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
If anything I think the feedback has encouraged me to keep making films and to have faith in my ideas.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To have more people see the film and to possibly make some contacts who would be interested in collaborating with us on future projects.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Anyone who can help increase our film's visibility! At this stage what we need more than anything is funding so that we can continue submitting to film festivals.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I just hope that whoever watches the film can identify with the main character and that they are moved by the story whether they are touched in a personal manner or they are simply captivated by the filmmaking elements.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What emotions do you think Piper was feeling when she saw the kite again after many years?
Would you like to add anything else?
I would just like to say thank you for giving us this opportunity!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Brock, the producer, is in the process of completing his film degree and has been working for various film festivals. I am currently in the early stages of developing a script for a new short film and I hope to get Brock as well as some other key creatives from Red Kite back on board to start work on this new project.
Interview: September 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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Red Kite
A young girl’s world is turned upside down when she is forced to live with her estranged grandfather for a couple of weeks.
Length: 15:00 mins
Director: Susanna van Aswegen
Producer: Brock Taffe
Writer: Susanna van Aswegen
About the writer, director and producer:
Susanna and Brock both studied a Bachelor of Film and Screen Media production at Griffith Film School in Brisbane, Australia. Red Kite is their second major short film that they have worked on together and is also their graduating film.
Whilst writing is one of several roles Susanna has taken on during her years at university, she has always had a passion for directing and has been drawn to the world of acting and the power of raw, emotional performances.
Brock is an aspiring producer whose passion lies in the film festival industry. He has recently been working on the Sydney Film Festival and hopes to continue fostering the local film industry.
Key cast: Charlotte Stent, Joe Feeney and Kelly Joyce
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Anyone who sees potential in the film and who can help us get it out there in the world!
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redkiteshortfilm/
Instagram: redkiteshortfilm
Other: www.redkiteshortfilm.com
Funders: Ourselves
Made in association with: Griffith Film School
Where can I see it in the next month?
Down Under Berlin Australian and New Zealand Film Festival and Heart of Gold International Film Festival.