Released by DUST 2019 – Pulsar
A Peacemaker, who rejects his final mission to save an endangered planet, is believed to be cursed when a solar storm hits his spaceship.
Interview with Writer/Director Aurora Fearnley
Watch Pulsar here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Loosely based on the story of Jonah, Pulsar was made through The Pitch, a film fund that provides a £30,000 budget for emerging filmmakers to create visionary short films based on Bible stories.
Previous critical successes from The Pitch include Promise and Leash, while Pulsar itself has played over 30 festivals worldwide – including Portland, Flickers’ Rhode Island, Kerry and Trieste Science+Fiction – and won numerous awards, including Best Actor for David Gyasi and Best VFX.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film stars David Gyasi as an intergalactic peacemaker who rejects his final mission to save an endangered planet – and jeopardises the all-female ex-convicts crewing the spacecraft he’s stowed away on. Irish rising star Jessie Buckley plays the lead rebel Cassa and we blow up a star!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The story of Jonah particularly struck me as it had so many fantasy elements while at the heart was a hero’s journey of self-sacrifice and redemption. I love the pagan history of the UK and our folk tales, so I’ve concentrated on the mariners who hold superstitious beliefs about the sea and curses. A great whale that eats the main character – that is fun to reimagine! I personally think that deep space and deep-sea hold so many parallels and connections that it wasn’t hard to transpose one environment for the other, it felt like a natural fit.
What’s so relatable to Jonah in the modern age is his flaws and fears. I was drawn to examining a character who held such strong judgements on other people, someone who used pride as a shield to hide their own fears. The inner struggle of Jonah is relatable to everyone who is asking for a second chance.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I knew my ideas for Pulsar were ambitious but nothing could have prepared me for the challenges it took to complete this film. Pulsar is my first adventure with a VFX heavy project; I think I was exceptionally lucky to have such talented artists so deeply invested in the process. The film took four years to complete, which only makes me more proud of what our committed crew accomplished together.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
“Stunning visuals and engaging story” - Starburst International Film Festival
"Pulsar has attention to detail, a solid story filled with drama and suspense and very nice special effects." - Berlin Sci-fi Film Fest
"We were delighted to screen Pulsar at Kerry Film Festival. This was an ambitious sci-fi short film that delivered on all fronts. With an engaging story, talented cast and exceptional cinematography, Pulsar stood out for the jury panel and was a featured short at the festival in Kerry." Maeve McGrath, KFF Director.
"Pulsar grabs your attention from the opening scene and doesn't let it go until the very end. We have been proud to screen it at the Dublin Independent Film Festival".
This epic sci-fi short premiered at Sci-Fi Film Festival London in May 2018. Pulsar has since been the recipient of multiple awards including Best Female Director, Best VFX and Best Sci-fi short. Notably, David Gyasi has won multiple awards as Best Actor for his lead role of Jonah. Additionally Pulsar was nominated for Best Actor, Best Costume and Best VFX at both FilmQuest and at Women in Horror Film Festival and Nominated for the European Fantastic Film Federation Melies d'Argent competition at Trieste Science+Fiction Festival.
In under a year Pulsar has screened at over 30 film festivals including Flickers’ Rhode Island (Vortex), Portland FF, Fargo Fantastic FF, GenreBlast, Starburst IFF, Cosmic FF, Dublin Independant, Kerry FF, Lone Star Texas, Kino Manchester, Les Intergalactiques Lyon, Carmarthen Bay Wales, Crystal Palace, Genre Celebration Tokyo, London Lift-Off and S.O.U.L. Celebrate : Connect at the BFI London.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I'm relieved to see the film doing so well on the festival circuit and delighted that we have distribution with Gunpowder & Sky to screen with DUST online. It may seem that getting a film made is the hardest part of the job, believe me when I say that all films getting made are miraculous, but getting a film seen once it's been made is the hardest part of the process.
My job since completion is to get Pulsar seen by the audience that wants to view that content. My job has been to look for that niche in festivals but now DUST has taken Pulsar online, which is the ideal route to reach our audience.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'm looking to connect with people who are interested in genre filmmaking.
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 really love to get Pulsar out to more journalists and spread the film online as far as it can go.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Pulsar is a hugely ambitious space sci-fi, which stands to solidify my genre calibre. Female film directors, particularly those working in larger budgets and in Sci-fi / supernatural genres like myself, are so sparse in the UK. My aim is for Pulsar to be an attention-grabbing film that showcases my voice and ability for longer formwork in Film and TV.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The question I want to ask is: Is there a future for female Directors making high concept sci-fi work in the UK?
Would you like to add anything else?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm is currently working on a feature film with BFI Vision Awardee Jude Goldrei at Luna Lander Films called Tipping Point.
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
Pulsar
A Peacemaker, who rejects his final mission to save an endangered planet, is believed to be cursed when a solar storm hits his spaceship.
Length: 17:33
Director: Aurora Fearnley
Producer: Luke Walton, Jackie Sheppard
Writer: Aurora Fearnley, Neville Pierce
About the writer, director and producer:
AURORA FEARNLEY is an award-winning director with a slate of genre features and TV projects in development, including Tipping Point, with BFI Vision Awardee Lunar Lander Films. She started her production company Little Northern Light in Leeds.
NEVILLE PIERCE - Filmmaker. Journalist and a contributing editor to Empire magazine and have written for The Guardian, Esquire, The Daily Telegraph and others.
LUKE WALTON is the founder of The Pitch, a competition for filmmakers in the UK which offers up to £30,000 in assistance for projects pitched.
Key cast: David Gyasi, Jessie Buckley, Anna Koval
Looking for: journalists
Facebook: Pulsar
Twitter: @aurorafearnley
Instagram: @aurorafearnley
Hashtags used: #WomenInFilm #scifi #PULSAR #femaledirector #jessiebuckley #blackstar #davidgyasi #dust #gunpowderandsky #ThePitch #Jonah #Britishfilm #shortfilm #diversefilm #inclusive #filmlondon #womeninfilm #wftv
Website: www.pulsarmovie.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Little Northern Light, Reel Issues Films,
Funders: The Pitch
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Online presented by DUST