Almost Heaven follows Ying Ling, a 17 year-old girl far from home, as she trains to become a mortician in one of China’s largest funeral homes. An intimate, tender and life-affirming portrait of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood.

Interview with Director/Producer Carol Salter

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I start off with an emotion or a feeling, which transforms into an idea that mirrors the initial feeling. At that time I was dealing with my own fear of death and coming to terms with the inevitable loss of my aging parents.

When I read a short newspaper article about the work of young morticians in China, who perform special spa treatments on the deceased and how these young people gave respect to the deceased by cleansing and washing away their ills and pains I immediately knew I wanted to make a film about this. I was intrigued as to how such young people, at the beginning of their life, could cope with working in such a place and so close to death.

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

This film is about life and death, universal subjects to us all.

For both Chinese and non-Chinese audiences, this film is a unique window into the workings of a funeral home.

I want people to think, reflect, and hopefully start a conversation. The process of making the film and seeing the young morticians prepare the bodies with care and tenderness opened my mind in a number of ways. I have gained a greater understanding and insight into how to treat our loved ones after they die. I want the film to offer these insights to both an audience with no immediate experience of dealing with death and also to those who have experienced losing a loved one.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I decided to follow Ying Ling’s journey as she learns to become a mortician. She was innocent, quirky and as fearful of being a part of this environment as I was. Both Ying Ling and I had never seen a dead body before.

As I filmed her, I felt we were both venturing out on a journey toward facing our mutual fears around death: a universal topic and the one certainty we all face in life. Ying Ling was finding her own sense of independence in the adult world, and I felt better able to deal with the necessary ‘letting go’ of my parents’ passing. In a way, Almost Heaven is a film defined by two journeys and the bond that emerges from them—both of us were going through our own rites to passage.

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

I’m drawn to working in the documentary genre as I discover and find the story while filming and in the edit-room. This allows my instinctive to drive what might be meaningful within a scene. Being a self-shooter and using very little equipment has enabled me to be more reactive to the moments that are unfolding in front of me, capturing them with greater immediacy. This also helps me, I think, to establish greater intimacy with the people I film, enabling me to pick out small details that speak of the tenderness or brutality of a moment. I am always searching for the energy in any given scene, a voice been raised, a whisper, someone’s look. I’m interested in a simplicity of storytelling. Perhaps due to my background as an editor, I find the subtraction of storytelling to be as important as what you put in.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The audiences seem to warm to Ying Ling and smile at her quirky sense of humour against the harsh environment of the funeral home. After screenings, we are inundated with questions about her progress, the process of making the film and the reaction of the audience to watching it. There is also a mix of ages, professions, and gender in our audiences which has been really good to see.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I am still enjoying screening Almost Heaven and engaging with audiences in different countries who are moved and surprised in equal measure at their experience of watching the film.

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

This is a great platform to reach out to new audiences and other people in the business. I am very happy to be part of a platform that supports female filmmakers!

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

I am looking for more exposure for the film - be that screenings or online platforms helping me to get the film seen.

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

Death is the most primal reality we face—it is the only given we have in life. However, we tend to avoid talking and thinking about it. I want people to think, reflect, and hopefully start a conversation about this.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Ideas are simmering away. Watch this space!

Interview: April 2018

Almost Heaven Director/Producer Carol Salter

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, scifi, horror, world cinema. 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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Almost Heaven

Length: 72 mins

Director: Carol Salter

Producer: Carol Salter

About the writer, director, and producer:

Carol is a UK based award-winning documentary director and National Film and Television School trained editor. Her debut feature documentary film – ALMOST HEAVEN – was awarded Best Documentary at British Independent Film Awards 2017. Premiered at Berlin International Film Festival 2017 and was nominated for Best Documentary– Glashütte Original Documentary Award as well as a Crystal Bear nominee.

Key cast: Ying Ling

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

Social media handles: Distributors, film festival directors, journalists

Facebook: almostheavenfilm

Twitter: almostheavendoc

Instagram: carolsalterfilm

Made in association with: Rocksalt Films made in association with Hakawati

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

https://almost-heaven-film.com/screenings-2/