Golden State Film Festival / LA Cinefest 2019 – Reborn
Beaten and trapped in an abusive marriage, an artist must draw up a creative plan to find her freedom.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor/Actor Petra Deeter
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I am a survivor of domestic violence so the topic of this film is painful and very close to my heart. I never thought that I would make a film about this topic because it was a past that I buried. One evening, my husband David (who is also a producer of the film) and I were in New York, walking around near Times Square and we witnessed a domestic violence situation. What really triggered me was what I hear other witnesses say about the situation. From that very moment, I decided that I would work on a documentary film about the public misconceptions about the subject. This short film is a subject teaser to our feature-length documentary that we are working on.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film portrays the desperate and silent cry by victims of domestic violence who are trapped in abusive relationships. Often, victims are unable to leave because the abusers threaten and can kill the victims and the victims' children.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The theme of the film is about overcoming adversity. Victims of domestic violence often fantasize about being able to escape, to be reborn into a new life, one that is unsilent, unbroken and free. This is extremely difficult because abusers will do anything to hold on to the power and to control the victims. In this film, the character saw her transformation from a battered housewife into a beautiful and free woman, even getting attention by passers-by. She saw her escape plan to be so brilliant that it gets sympathy on the front page of the local newspaper. She saw herself starting a new life at a different place, far away, and freely pursuing her art as an artist.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
In the first version of the film, the victim escapes. The film ended on a high note. We later decided to end the film on something much closer to the truth, a truth that I thought was going to be my only path when I was going through it personally.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
What surprised me was that any time the film got screened at festivals, our team would later get contacted by many viewers who privately told us about their personal experience with domestic violence. It was either something they went through themselves or someone in their family.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was definitely surprised that there were that many people who approached us to share their stories. What really sad is that everyone felt that they had to come and talk to us in private. Even though they or their family members are victims, they are afraid (and correctly so) that others will judge them negatively if they speak out in public. There is a stigma attached to being a victim of domestic violence. This is exactly what we are hoping to change with this film and our upcoming documentary film
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Domestic violence is, unfortunately, a timeless and widespread problem. It is very common for someone to know a family member or a friend who is a victim, but they may not realize the extent of the silent suffering. We want this film to reach a wider audience to bring this awareness. We also want to build a supportive community as we continue to work on our feature-length documentary.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Producers, film festival directors and journalists.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
As I mentioned above, we want to bring awareness to the grave consequences of domestic violence and the suffering that victims go through. Our feature-length documentary will focus on common public misconceptions about domestic violence and offer realistic suggestions for others who want to help victims.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why doesn't she *just* leave?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are working on the feature-length documentary as we mentioned. We are also in talks with a partner on an international co-production deal on a feature-length narrative project. It looks like it will either be a sci-fi or a drama.
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
Reborn
Beaten and trapped in an abusive marriage, an artist must draw up a creative plan to find her freedom.
Length: 7:04
Director: Petra Deeter
Producer: David Deeter
Writer: Petra Deeter
About the writer, director and producer:
PETRA DEETER is an award-winning director and actress. She is passionate about visual storytelling and telling the stories that matter. She is exploring her artistic expressions in films and so far has made films in all genres: Western, horror, comedy, crime action, and drama.
DAVID DEETER came to the film industry by marriage. When he married Petra, he decided to support her by doing everything he can, particularly by bringing his tech-savvy skill set to all projects that she embarks on.
Key cast: Petra Deeter (Renee/Adriana Thompson), Sam D. Figueroa (Aaron), Rex Freiberger (Harvey Thompson), David Deeter (Sid Pollack)
Looking for: film festival directors, journalists, producers, buyers
Facebook: Petra Deeter
Twitter: @PetraDeeter
Instagram: @petradeeter
Hashtags used: #sprrklemedia
Website: sprrkle.com
Other: IMDb
Funders: Self funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Inland Film Festival in Colton in July, Art is Alive Festival in New York in August; Hollywood Silver Screen 2019 Encore in Los Angeles in September