A phone call, a bathroom and a woman are at the intersection of the worlds.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Anca Damian

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I usually do long feature film: while I had a phone conversation with my mother I had the idea of choosing a short format to speak about time #life#death#memory and a bathroom to transcend the worlds in vertical spaces.

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

The film engages all type of audience as it speaks about the connection with our parents while engaging in the process of losing them and connecting with memories.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The idea came from a personal level, but it transcends it. I didn't use imagery from my family, I used old photos bought in a market. It is "the mother" and "the son", in a universal set-up.

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

We played with the animation techniques, starting from visual references that I gave to the team, in the beginning, otherwise, we followed an exact plan. The visual board was followed precisely.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I received different interpretations, the memory was somehow in all of them. What the audience didn't quite get was the ambiguity of the last dialogue line. I used a humorous way and metaphor to speak about death, and so far few read it correctly.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It is always important to hear how the film is perceived. I do films for the audience. I was not surprised, I excepted it.

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

Any enhancement of visibility helps to make the audience more curious.

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

I think that the film had a long and beautiful festival life: Annecy, Toronto, Sundance, Hong Kong, .... among more than 100 festivals. If the visibility of the film will be increased for journalists and maybe for buyers, it might be useful.

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

I would like to make people think of the fragility of the moment.

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

How are we connected between generations in a family? How are we prepared to contemplate the temporality of life while dealing with the death of our parents? What memory can encapsulate an object?

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

I finished a long feature animation Marona's Fantastic Tale and I started a long feature animation The Island.

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

The Call

A phone call, a bathroom and a woman are at the intersection of the worlds.

Director: Anca Damian

Producer: Anca Damian

Writer: Anca Damian

About the writer, director and producer:

ANCA DAMIAN had her directorial debut with Crossing Dates that premiered in Busan IFF. Then she came to the attention of the public with her second long feature film as director, screenwriter and producer, Crulic – The Path to Beyond (2011) selected for 150 festivals including Locarno, Annecy, Telluride, New Directors, New Films… and was awarded the Cristal in Annecy 2012 and more than 35 prizes at other festivals. A Very Unsettled Summer (2013) premiered in Warsaw IFF and screened in London and Goteborg, The Magic Mountain (2015) premiered in Annecy 2015, and the international premiere in Karlovy Vary IFF where it received a Special Mention of the Jury. This movie was selected in more than 60 festivals like San Sebastian, Leipzig, and won 11 prizes, including Audientia given by Eurimages.

Key cast: Jean Marc Barr

Looking for: journalists, buyers

Facebook: Anca Damian

Website: apartefilm.net

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Aparte

Funders: CNC