Frameline 42 - Ice Cold
A blushing bride is having the best and worst day of her life.
Interview with Writer/Director Sekiya Dorsett
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was about to get married and thinking how lucky I was but what if I had continued down that path of least resistance with my family. What if I hadn’t left the Bahamas to live unapologetically? Then, I just started writing. I hadn’t done a comedy so I also wanted to try that.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Ice Cold is a heartfelt film. There is a character for everyone. You also are able to reconnect with yourself and experience the lives of two people you should know.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
There is a universal theme of love and friendship. What does it mean to be in love and what are some of the sacrifices you may have to make to be yourself. I also think the heart of the film is honesty and true love. Is there a soulmate? Katie, our main lead, had to ask herself if she wants love or security?
Our characters have to ask deep self reflective questions. What do they want for their lives and is it worth it to disrupt their families to forge ahead? These our questions, LGBTQ people have to answer every single day. Are we willing to be ourselves 100% in our neighborhoods, at work and in our families. Do we want to disrupt the family reunion and remain in the closet or do we want to be free. It’s still a struggle for many people. I heard someone said “coming out is old”. It’s not. Some people are still living in emotional closets. There are still places that we can’t be 100% ourselves.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When I first started making the film, there were no flashbacks. I had the characters living in the present but as I edited it, I realized that the audience needed to understand what the characters may have left behind. It was then that I decided to explore the idea of memory - a collective memory of the past.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People have really connected with it. It’s an enjoyable film that you’re really not sure who you should be rooting for. These women have lives that they may have to leave behind and we get to meet some of those people so there are a lot of stakes.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The LGBTQ community may have had gains in gay marriage in certain countries but we still have a long way to go. In some parts of our country, people are fighting to ignore those gains. In certain parts of the country we may be able to get married but we may not get the cake. Our trans brothers and sisters are still fighting. We can still be fired in certain instances so we have a fight left. I still don’t feel safe in certain parts of New York so it’s imperative that we keep visible and not just visible that we tell our stories. The more we do, the closer we are to connecting with the wider world.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
If love support in anyway, it’s hard making queer films, people think if they’ve seen one they’ve seen it all. Straight people have a million rom coms and they all get made and promoted so it’s great when you have support for your film in any form.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want viewers to see love in a new way.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Nothing in the pipeline. I’d love to work on something more abstract soon.
Interview: June 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, 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
Ice Cold
A blushing bride is having the best and worst day of her life.
Length: 13:12
Writer: Sekiya Dorsett
Director: Sekiya Dorsett
About the writer, director and producer:
SEKIYA DORSETT is a Bahamian filmmaker bringing voices to issues of gender and inequality. Her film, The Revival Movie, has screened internationally and nationally ending its screening run at The Brooklyn Musem. By day she is a digital producer.
Key cast: https://www.icecoldthemovie.com/cast/
Facebook: Facebook.com/icecoldthemovie
Instagram: @icecoldthemovie