Cindependent Film Festival 2018 - Hide and Seek
A rock musician turned stay-at-home dad makes an impulsive wish during a chance encounter with a former band mate, transporting him into an alternative reality.
Interview with Writer/Director Shoshana Rosenbaum
Watch Hide and Seek here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made the film because I had a script that was ready to bring to life, and I was ready to direct another short film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You will enjoy this film if you have ever wondered about the path not taken, or if you’ve ever let your mind wander down the “what if” road into an alternate version of your life.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
We all make choices that send our lives in different directions: one of the biggest life-changing choices is whether or not to have children. For creatives, that complicates the already tricky balance between making art and making a living.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script first started with a female protagonist, as my work usually does. But then I decided to flip the script and let the female character be the one who’s unapologetically childless and free, pursuing her life as an artist, while the male counterpart is (for once) struggling with “work-life balance”.
Also, in the original script, the child character was originally younger, and a boy. When I auditioned actors, the child actor I liked best was a girl, and several years older than the character I had written. That change shifted the core relationship between the father and child, but in an organic way that worked for the project. The actors playing those roles had a great rapport and it was worth letting the story evolve to make room for it.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
This is a story that inspires debate and conversation -- not everybody agrees on what the ending means. That’s been really fun. It’s also the kind of movie that’s a little bit of a mirror -- the feedback reflects what the viewer brings to it, his or her experiences and the life choices that they’ve made. This is also a genre film that plays like a drama for most of the film, so it’s been interesting seeing how the reactions vary among fans of science fiction and fantasy vs. people who tend to watch more realistic films.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I have a certain point of view about what the ending means for the main character, so it’s been surprising to hear some disparate reactions. But that’s the great thing about making art: once the work is out in the world, it belongs to everyone. I’m grateful when people take the time to watch and share their reactions.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope the increased visibility helps the film reach a wider audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Film festival directors and programmers to bring it to more festivals; journalists to review and write about the film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like the film to generate conversation about parenting and how it fits into the rest of our lives: how we make our livings; how we make art. There isn’t enough work out there that considers parenting on a deep level, especially in genre spaces. Oftentimes in stories where kids aren’t the main characters, the kids on screen go away quickly so that adults can play out the “real” story. But that’s not real life: kids take up a lot of airtime, and they influence us, challenge us, and ultimately help us grow as people. I’d like to see more art of all kinds about that.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you ever wonder about the path not taken?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for all the hard work you do to spotlight creative work on We Are Moving Stories!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m writing/revising a feature script based on my first short film, “The Goblin Baby”. Robin Noonan-Price, the producer, is also on the festival circuit with another short film she produced last year, “Leia’s Army”.
Interview: August 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, 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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Hide and Seek
A rock musician turned stay-at-home dad makes an impulsive wish during a chance encounter with a former band mate, transporting him into an alternative reality.
Length: 9:36 minutes
Director: Shoshana Rosenbaum
Producer: Robin Noonan-Price
Writer: Shoshana Rosenbaum
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer/Director:
Shoshana Rosenbaum is a writer/director and educator based in Washington, D.C. Her award-winning short film THE GOBLIN BABY has screened at festivals around the U.S. and internationally. Her short film HIDE AND SEEK began its festival run in February 2018 at the DC Independent Film Festival. Her screenplay AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS (formerly THE GOBLIN CHILD) was named to The 2017 Bitch List. She was a finalist in the 2015 Austin Film Festival Pitch Competition. Her screenplays have been finalists in the Nashville Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, DC Shorts Film Festival, and Asian Pacific American Film Festival. She is an Associate Artist at the Digital Institute for Early Parenthood.
Producer:
Robin Noonan-Price produces and directs award winning educational programming for Fairfax County Public Schools as well as for school systems throughout the U.S. and internationally. She has produced or co-produced several short films, and co-leads the Narrative Directors' Roundtable for WIFV-DC.
Key cast: Johnny Alonso, Joy Jones, William Waddell, Jr., Ashyer Gibbons
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Film festival directors and journalists
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HideandSeekShortFilmbyShoshanaRosenbaum/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShoshanaRosenba
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoshana.rosenbaum/
Other: www.shoshanarosenbaum.com/hide-and-seek.html
Funders: crowdfunded on Seed & Spark, seedandspark.com/fund/hide-and-seek
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Thursday, August 23 at Cindependent Film Festival