Sidewalk Film Festival 2019 – Shedding
A bored house cat who longs to explore the outside world escapes his home after he mysteriously transforms into a human.
Interview with Writer/Director/Editor Jake Thomas
Watch Shedding on Prime Video, iTunes and Tubi
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made the film Shedding because I was inspired by indie filmmakers who started their careers by making low budget DIY features, namely Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi), Kevin Smith (Clerks), Christopher Nolan (Following), and Sean Baker (Tangerine). Even though I didn’t have millions of dollars to spend — heck, I didn’t even have hundreds of dollars to spend — I had an iPhone and I lived with cats. Shedding started as an experiment to capture animal footage and craft it into a narrative story, and then grew into a feature film with a small cast of talented actors shot in readily available locations.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch Shedding because it’s like no other film you’ve seen on the festival circuit. At times absurd, or deeply moving and humorous, it’s a film that explores longing, grief, and transformation from a uniquely fresh perspective.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The personal and universal theme of longing is explored through every character in Shedding. The main character — a simple house cat — dreams about going outside and exploring the world that is visible only through his living room window. After an impossible transformation and escape, he meets a Mother who also longs for the impossible — to be reunited with her dead son. The two of them connect and help fulfill each other’s dream.
However, the eventual companion to longing is neglect. If we focus all our attention on what can never be, we neglect the relationships we have. The Daughter has suffered neglect from her Mother after their shared loss, and as a result, has neglected her own emotional healing. When the Daughter and Mother both experience closure, their relationship begins to mend.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Shedding developed from a short film into a feature film through several phases. Before the script was written, I was filming and editing what became the opening eight minutes of the film by poring through hours of footage of my cat. I approached my actors with a rough cut of this section of the movie to convey the tone we were going for, and after they were cast, I wrote the script for the bulk of the second act. We shot a total of twelve or so days. Once the rough cut was together, we screened it for feedback at a co-working space called Epiphany Space in Hollywood, as well as to an independent film consultant. We added some pickup scenes and reshoots for the final cut. Then it was time to crowdfund for the costs of post-production — the original score and the final sound editing and mixing.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We’ve had tremendous feedback about Shedding from several sources. One festival programmer had this to say: “It was like Cassavetes with heart. And the camera!!!! The surrealist shifts were Godard-worthy. Seriously great work."
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I've been delighted but the number of people who have resonated with the film. I've also been surprised by the amount of people who have sent us photos of their own cats watching the movie in their living rooms, including our own composer's cat!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are looking to broaden our reach and connect with our waiting audience through wearemovingstories.com.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
To amplify the film's message, we are looking for sales agents, distributors, and press coverage.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love for this film to have an impact on the indie film community by inspiring other filmmakers to use their available resources and make innovative films that would never otherwise exist, just the same way I was inspired by the no-budget filmmakers of the past. I would also love for this film to lead to my next projects, both features and TV.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
There are a few questions that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film: "Do you think this story is a dream, or did it really happen?" (Some viewers have interpreted it as the cat's dream). Another more personal question is: "Just like these characters, what are the things that I long for outside my own life? What am I neglecting as a result?"
Would you like to add anything else?
If you want to see updates on our festival screenings or other news, you can follow us on Instagram @Shedding_film or Facebook @sheddingfeaturefilm. I'll also post updates on Instagram and Twitter @jthummus. We can be reached via email at sheddingfilm@gmail.com.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Producer Erin Brown Thomas is writing her own directorial debut feature film and talking with financiers. I am researching and writing an original pilot set in New York in the 1960s.
Interview: August 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
Shedding
A bored house cat who longs to explore the outside world escapes his home after he mysteriously transforms into a human.
Length: 1:15:20
Director: Jake Thomas
Producer: Erin Brown Thomas
Writer: Jake Thomas
About the writer, director and producer:
JAKE THOMAS is a writer-director who loves fantasy, comedy, and drama. His previous shorts include One on One, winner of “Best Drama” at the Metropolis Fan Film Competition, nominee for "Best Short" at the Burbank International Film Festival, and official selection for the Attic Showcase screenings during SXSW. His original screenplay Last Summer was a Quarter-Finalist in the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Shedding is his feature film debut.
ERIN BROWN THOMAS is a writer/director/editor/producer, who has worked on projects with Selena Gomez, Eminem, Zach Galifianakis, and recent collaborators Lena Dunham, Emmy Rossum, and Elisabeth Moss. She is also a workshop participant in the 2019 Commercial Director’s Diversity Program, and was selected as an Artist in Residence for the 2019 Palm Springs International Shortfest. Her newest short Feeling Flush, an LGBTQ+ dramedy, is also currently in post-production.
Key cast: Lex Quarterman (The Cat), Karla Droege (The Mother), Jacquelyn Zook (The Daughter)
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists
Facebook: Shedding
Twitter: @jthummus
Instagram: @shedding_film
Hashtags used: #sheddingfilm
Other: IMDb
Made in association with:
Funders: Seed & Spark
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sidewalk Film Festival/Birmingham, AL - Saturday Aug. 24th, 2019