Catalina Film Festival 2019 – Unicorns
After Elise hits rock bottom she is forced to connect with a teenage boy, Jonah, battling demons of his own. Disheartened by the fact she can't find the 'magic words,' Elise is forced to show up in the most authentic way she can.
Interview with Director Candice Carella
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I've always been drawn to telling stories that find an interesting or unique way of highlighting important topics and universal struggles. After reading Leah McKendrick's script, and discussing its cultural relevance and importance with producer / actress Hilary Curwen and producer Caity Ware, I was excited to come on board an be an integral part of bringing this story to life. It was also great to work with a team of hard-working and talented women.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Unicorns is a modern, fresh take on a serious subject, surviving depression. It's unorthodox and jarring at times, it's funny and shocking at times. The performances from Malik Yoba, Markees Christmas, and Hilary Curwen and textured and entertaining and you'll leave the theater happy, and feeling less alone in the world.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Elise (Hilary Curwen) and Jonah (Markees Christmas) are two people from opposite walks of life, and despite their differences, find a connection when they realize they're not alone in their struggles. Another theme is being present enough to receive signs to remind us that we are precious and important and have value and are here to help each other.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Film itself is an ever-evolving sculpture-likee medium and there are so many factors in play. We shot a fairly close to the original version of the script, cutting only a driving scene and swapping a few sets based on location availability and maneuverability. Actors always come in with their ideas and experiences to bring to the role, and they can shape the way a character evolves. When we cast the talented Malik Yoba, his "Marlon" character got bigger and became an important figure in Elise's backstory in addition to being the initiator for the Jonah meeting. Brett Hedlund, our editor, worked hard on balancing tones, comedy and drama and helped keep the running time down which meant we lost some moments we all loved. We had a two-day shoot and kept shifting our schedule due to rain and we had several companies move exterior scenes so that shaped the way we did things during production.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We haven't shown the film yet and look forward to feedback. We have our festival premiere in a few days and will also be showing at the Catalina Film Festival end of September.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I am hoping people will come out and see it if it comes to a festival nearby. Unicorns is an important film and mental health is at its root and I think that gaining an audience, piquing interest with film Festival programmers to get it a wider platform, and increasing its social media following for the film would be awesome. Storytelling with film is powerful and we are grateful for the platform to share a little bit about our film with the We are moving stories audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Any of the above who has a genuine interest in the film and extending its reach.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
If one person in one audience of Unicorns who relates to the film or suffers from depression watches the film and values their life a little more or realizes they're not alone, then this film has had the impact that we intended it to have.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I don't think this is the type of film that starts a debate but the conversation can turn into ways we can look for and connect with those who may need it most. Depression is a serious mental health issue. A lot of people dismiss it as less significant than other mental health diseases or disorders.
Would you like to add anything else?
I would like to thank the entire cast and crew of this film for coming to help tell this story.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Malik Yoba has reprised his starring role in the reboot of New York Undercover.
Producer Caity Ware acted and produced a feature that premiered at Dances with Films and is currently on a six-city tour.
Screenwriter Leah McKendrick is working on a tv show with Warner Bros. streaming service and is in post-production on a short fan film.
DP Brad Rushing shot a series on location and a new music video.
Editor Brett Hedlund directed a feature and is editing another feature for ESX entertainment.
I directed a music video, and am working on a Netflix series with plans to get back to writing soon after that finishes.
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
Unicorns
After Elise hits rock bottom she is forced to connect with a teenage boy, Jonah, battling demons of his own. Disheartened by the fact she can't find the 'magic words,' Elise is forced to show up in the most authentic way she can.
Length: 14:24
Director: Candice Carella
Producer: Caity Ware, Hilary Curwen
Writer: Leah McKendrick
About the writer, director and producer:
CANDICE CARELLA studied fine art, photography and cinema at UCLA. Her first professional experience came as a wardrobe stylist and costume designer for music videos. She followed her passion and produced and directed a 30-minute short Pony, starring Xander Berkeley (Air Force One, Terminator 2, The Walking Dead) and Suzy Nakamura (Dodgeball, Togetherness, Dr. Ken, Avenue 5) which premiered on the festival circuit in 2015, screening in over 50 film festivals, winning 32 festival awards and gaining a worldwide distribution deal with Shorts International. In 2017, as a recipient of the prestigious Panavision New Filmmaker Grant, Candice wrote, produced and directed a 20-minute film Three Days in the Hole, based on a true story about a young Yezidi girl's struggle to survive her ISIS capture after the Iraq genocide of 2014.
LEAH MCKENDRICK is a multi-hyphenate most recently known for her film she wrote, Voicemails for Isabelle that was bought by Sony and will star Hailee Steinfeld and be directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones' Diary). In 2014 she formed Villainess Productions, aimed at creating content featuring women in diverse and compelling roles. Her films have screened throughout the world at festivals such as SXSW, Sitges, Busan International and Fantasia (and bought by Amazon).
CAITY WARE is a UCLA alumna with a decade of producing under her belt. She spends her days working with the brilliant folks at Playtone, and her nights producing independent projects of the unexpected-slice-of-life variety. Her most recent short, Everything's Gonna Be Okay, is currently on the festival circuit after premiering at the 2018 Florida Film Festival, and her two previous shorts received distribution deals after award-winning festival runs. Her first feature, We Are Gathered Here, will hit festivals in Spring of 2019. Caity is an active member of Women In Film.
Key cast: Hilary Curwen (Elise), Markees Christman (Jonah), Malik Yoba (Marlon)
Facebook: Hilary Curwen
Instagram: @hilaryloo
Hashtags used: #UnicorntheFilm
Other: IMDb
Funders: Self funded & Seed & Spark
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Catalina Film Festival/ CA- September 28,29