A suburban housewife finds a used condom while vacuuming her house. It could only have come from one of two people, her fifteen-year-old daughter or her husband.

Interview with Writer/Director David Rusanow

Watch Mother here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I am mainly a cinematographer, but I studied to be a Director and I hadn't directed anything of my own for a long time. Also, I read the comic book the film is based on and thought it was a great little story that would work well as a short.

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

Because it's a bit offbeat and weird but also very much seated in reality. Also, it's not your normal short film with a nicely tied up ending, it's a bit more ambiguous and makes you think.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Mother covers a lot of personal themes, in the sense that it is all told from Julie's perspective. It's a very personal situation of her dealing with something very tough happening in her life that if she confronts it, it could ruin her family.

But the film also covers a lot of universal themes as well. Like the sacrifice, a mother makes to keep her family together and the complexities of a family unit and the respect that is sometimes lacking.

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

Mother is based on a comic book by local Melbourne writer and artist Chris Gooch. The comic book frames really helped with some of the framing and shots. There are actual shots in the movie that are straight from the comic. Having such a visual starting point with the comic helped translate the script visually and not much differed on screen from what was in the screenplay.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

People always seem to have the same question after seeing the film. I think this is a good thing as it makes people think and not just walk away from the film and forget about it. I'm not sure if most audiences get the awkward humour in the film. There are some scenes that play out so dry that I'm not sure that audiences get that they are actually meant to be funny.

But generally the audience response has been great and people react to the film and its themes and questions well.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Peoples ideas on what the film means are sometimes challenging but also refreshing. Also, people’s thoughts on who the condom belongs too are always very interesting, some peoples hypotheses are actually quite ridiculous. But I enjoy feedback good or bad as it makes you think about the way people see your work.

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

I'm hoping to get the film to more people and hopefully secure some distribution or sell it to screen somewhere else.

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

I would love to have a sales agent or distributor to come onboard to bring the film to other audiences.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I'd like people to watch it and think about these hard things that happen in your life, that you sometimes have to let go without getting a solid answer.

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

If you found a used condom in your loungeroom would you want to know who it belonged too?

Would you like to add anything else?

I just hope people reading this get to see the film at some point.

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

I'm currently co-writing a feature film based on another of Chris Gooch's comic books as well as continuing to work as a cinematographer on other projects.

Interview: May 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

Mother

A suburban housewife finds a used condom while vacuuming her house. It could only have come from one of two people, her fifteen-year-old daughter or her husband.

Length: 13:10

Director: David Rusanow

Producer: George Rubanov

Writer: David Rusanow

About the writer, director and producer:

DAVID RUSANOW has been working in the film and television industry for over fifteen years. He has directed and shot various projects from short dramas, feature films, documentaries, TVC’s and Music Videos. He is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, holding a Bachelors Degree in Film and Television, where he specialized in Writing and Directing.

GEORGE RUBANOV is a Melbourne based producer, with over five years experience in creating short films, music videos, and corporate videos. After attending a short course at the Victorian College of the Arts in film making, he fell in love with the industry. Within a year he was hooked, and managed to produce four short films, and direct three of his own.

Key cast: Dana Miltins, Alec Gilbert, Chris Connelly, India Morris

Looking for: sales agents, distributors, film festival directors, buyers

Facebook: Mother

Instagram: @drusanow.dop

Hashtags used: #mothershortfilm

Website: drusanow.wixsite.com/mothershortfilm

Other: Vimeo

Funders: Self Funded, Pozible