SXSW 2019 / Sunvalley Film Festival – Heroines
A young girl with blooming awareness, Nina, interacts with her crass neighbor who explains the tangled world of intimacy and love. Drawing from her own experiences, Nina understands more than she thought.
Interview with Director Katia Badalian
Watch Heroines here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was transitioning from theater directing into filmmaking and took a three-month trip to really understand my inner voice. I knew there was something bothering me inside that had to be told. One day, sitting in a post-Soviet kitchen in Moscow, I had a full vision of this film, the story, the shots, the aesthetic and the atmosphere. It all came together in my head and I knew I had to let this story out of my mind and put it on screen.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It's always hard for me to answer this question since I don't want to bring the mood down or make people feel bad for me. It's often something I try to avoid at all costs because this story is personal and reflects certain moments in life. I have been molested as a kid by a couple of people that moved through my life. I can't say that these situations ever strongly affected me in a negative way. I still kept on being as open and playful as I always was. I've been wise for my age and dealt with some memories on my own and never really told anyone about this till I was in my mid-twenties.
I have never felt like a victim to any of the situations that happen to me, I simply thought of them as life chapters that are written in my life for the development of who I will become as a woman.
I'm a strong believer that if you want to truly let go of something you should write it down and burn it or throw it away and maybe write more and more till you feel that you've allowed that air flow through those painful cracks of your soul.
This film is my form of letting go.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I moved to LA with a script. It took me six months to find everyone. I think everything sparked as soon as I met Anna Khaja the lead actress who played Regina. The moment I saw her I knew - it's her! Then I posted a facebook post that I'm looking for a 10-year-old actress and within two hours Sage's mother messaged me that they are very interested in the script and that they would love to do a video audition. And after a day Sage was booked. My producer, Christopher, pulled in our DP Rafael Gomez who knew exactly what I wanted and what direction visually I'm trying to go with this film. He really loved the story and trusted me with a lot of the shots and I deeply loved working with him on it. I spent a lot of time with my favorite person Ben Montemayor - who edited Heroines. After the first four cuts, we finally saw the direction and just stuck with it, cleaning it up and compressing it to make the film go in one breath.
It took longer than I expected and it tested my patience. As a first time filmmaker, I learned the process by doing, which felt like the best way. All said and done, I'm extremely happy with our work and I cannot wait to share more.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'd love for this story to get more exposure and find the right audience that would follow the journey of this film.
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 point, I have an outline of the feature and an additional scene shot as proof of concept. I'm hoping to start working with a writer to shape the story to an actual script.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
This is very much a slice of life of this young girl who is very wise for her age. How she receives and reacts to this information by her crass neighbor is something we see unfold at the end of the film. There are a lot of things I can't say because the ending is tricky. I wish for people to truly decide what they feel and what they take away from it.
I will say that wisdom comes in many shapes or forms. I believe that wisdom has no age because it comes from the soul.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
After the screening, a lot of people where talking and it opened this topic whether or not we should be open with our youth about life's tough topics: sex, drugs, etc.
As a child, adults would treat these topics with delicacy. However, I knew far more about them that I would care to admit. This film made me reflect on how I would communicate with my children in the future. Obviously, Regina's crass way of unloading her personal philosophy would not be my route. However, I've lived life and had my fair share of experience with these issues. When the day comes, will I give an introductory course or a thorough conversation about the details?
I'm not sure I know the answer but this film has pushed me to have the conversation with myself and I hope opens it for others.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Katia is currently writing the feature version of Heroines and is developing a web-series with Christopher Nataanii about a young Russian-American filmmaker trying to make her way in Los Angeles.
Christopher has finished writing his first feature titled Movement Through the Valley. He is now in development on his new script 7000 Ft, which follows a group of high school friends struggling to outgrow their adolescent mindset and addicted behaviors.
Ben is working on a short film about his great grandfather’s immigrant journey from Mexico during the depression, with hopes of making it into a feature.
Interview: April 2019
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
Heroines
A young girl with blooming awareness, Nina, interacts with her crass neighbor who explains the tangled world of intimacy and love. Drawing from her own experiences, Nina understands more than she thought.
Length: 7:00
Director: Katia Badalian
Producer: Christopher Nataanii Cegielski
Writer: Sara Bowers
About the writer, director and producer:
KATIA BADALIAN is a Russian-American film director, raised in New York and Moscow. In 2012, Katia received a Bachelors Degree in Acting and Directing from the Russian Academy of Theater Art’s (GITIS). Currently based in Los Angeles, Katia works professionally as a photographer and production designer. Heroines is Katia’s directorial debut. Katia strives to tell stories about real women who empower themselves through everyday hardship, proving women are not only relatable for women but for everyone.
CHRISTOPHER NATAANII CEGIELSKI is a Navajo Filmmaker from Flagstaff, Az. Growing up multi-racial in a town bordering the Navajo Nation heavily influenced his adolescence, which shaped how he sees the world and what stories he strives to tell. Cegielski has screened films at dozens of international film festival including the Berlinale. He has also received fellowships in producing and directing from the Sundance Native Lab and Film Independent’s Project Involve.
Key cast: Anna Khaja (Regina), Sage Adler (Nina)
Looking for: journalists, distributors, film festival directors
Facebook: Katia Badalian
Instagram: @kboom
Hashtags used: #heroinesfilm
Website: katiabadalian.com
Other: Vimeo
Funders: Funded by Irina Gorbacheva
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sunvalley Film Festival/Idaho - 3/14/19