The Firefly Girls
A man, who is struggling to recover after his young daughter's unexpected death, is forced to confront his reality when an unlikely visitor breaks into his house.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Katie Micay
Watch The Firefly Girls here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wanted to make a short film that I’m really proud of and that showed the best of my abilities.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is a film that really sucker punches you part way through. It has an emotional twist that many people don’t see coming. Savannah Paige Rae who plays Gracie is absolutely amazing and she knocks it out of the park. She still gets me every time!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
This short film is really about processing death and what it’s like for the people left behind. I made this film after my aunt passed away. Her death was pretty sudden and hit me very hard. It was the first time that I had to really process the death of someone close to me. Death is such a tough concept to wrap your head around. I’m still trying.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The story changed a great deal. Originally, it was a fairytale. It was basically a version of Edward Scissorhands. You know the part with the woman selling makeup in the beginning? Except this was a young girl selling cookies and he was the town outcast that kids were scared of. While I got a lot of positive feedback with the original script, the thing that worried me is that it was forgettable. It was cute but wouldn’t stick with you.
I was instructed to dig deeper, figure out what I wanted to say. So I dug deeper and delved into the grief I was experiencing. It gave it more depth and that’s when this story became personal.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I’ve had amazing feedback. We have taken this film to ten film festivals and I always enjoy showing it to a new audience. The twist in the middle always gets people. It’s hard to really tell you more than that without giving anything away!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I think we got more challenging feedback as we went along in the development process. We were walking a fine line between poignant and overly dramatic so that took a while to perfect.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Now that we are done the festival route, I’d just love to get as many eyes on it 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?
At this moment, I am just focused on having people see it.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope that it starts a conversation. That would be incredible. It would be great if it helped someone, even in a small way, work through their own grief.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do you deal with grief?
Would you like to add anything else?
I don’t think I have anything else!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Kyle Bown and I have our web series Twentyfiveish! It premiered recently at Seriesfest and is playing at ITV Festival next month. We are shopping that one around so if anyone is interested...
Interview: September 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
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Firefly Girls
A man, who is struggling to recover after his young daughter's unexpected death, is forced to confront his reality when an unlikely visitor breaks into his house.
Length: 11:09
Director: Katie Micay
Producer: Katie Micay, Kyle Bown, Kim Puleo, Jamie Zaffino
Writer: Katie Micay, Kyle Bown
About the writer, director and producer:
Key cast: Savannah Paige Rae, Mario Schugel
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefireflygirlsfilm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fireflygirlfilm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefireflygirlsfilm/
Other: http://www.thefireflygirlsfilm.com
Funders: Private Investors
Made in association with: N/A
Where can I see it in the next month?
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/206107603